Oogyknitter

Hello on this non-taco Tuesday!  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here! I have to say that I've been somewhat influenced by my emotional support Canadians in terms of swatching for big-deal projects.  For most of the things I make, gauge doesn't really matter a lot - a hat will always fit someone, no one cares about an afghan, a shawl is a shawl, etc.   But giving Oogyhubby a knitted vest - this calls for a swatch!!  And I'm already thinking that I want to go down a needle side to get the fabric that I want.  I'll try that in a couple more inches, then wash/block it, then ask Oogyhubby what he thinks.  The rest is math! We had a bit of snow today, all from the Big Lake.  Not enough to bring out the tractor, but enough to coat everything, look pretty, and provide a blank slate for nighttime critter activities.  We had some big wind yesterday but things are quite calm now. The yarn I ordered for the Goldilocks slippers and also f...

A very happy holiday Friday to all!  I hope this finds you safe, well, and joyful.  We're good here! So now that the gifts have been wrapped, sent (well, mostly!), and opened, I have some work to do! First I thought it would only be two items I gave Oogyhubby: Yes, I gave him protoprojects as gifts.  Why?  Well, mostly because I needed his input on both of them, and I usually have no idea what he really wants. The yarn on the left is just as in the pic - it's mostly combed Samoyed fur, mixed in with some wool.  My aim is to make Oogyhubby something very warm for his hands or head so that when he is out on the tractor that part of him doesn't turn into an icicle.  I thought for sure he'd vote for mitts, but no - he wants a hat.  A very warm and windproof hat.  More on that in a minute. The other yarn is Rowan Felted Tweed in a lovely dark gray colorway.  I have a bunch more of it, and intend to make him a knitted vest ( this one actually)....

Guess what day it is???  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here. I've been pretty busy lately, and it's all good, but I realized earlier today that I didn't pick up any knitting at all yesterday, not even one stitch.  I'm not even sure the last time that happened.  It can't be good for my emotional well-being! Including the small bit I did earlier today, I can report on some progress on Storm Clouds: It's definitely too cheerful-looking to be associated with Storm Clouds, but there you go. What you don't see in this photo is the stitch I dropped back in the last row of YOs.  So I had to fish it out and ladder it on up.  Hopefully no worse for the wear! I don't have any wildlife updates to share, but until yesterday there was still enough snow on the ground to see the tracks from the deer cocktail parties the night before.  That's always fun to see!

So Happy It's Thursday!  I hope you're safe and well; we're good here. I haven't posted in a while, but I really didn't have much new to share.  It was all about Santa's Workshop knitting, then working, and more work.  Which is all good. Of course the NNWA work continues, but I actually cast on for something last night that is not a Casapinka pattern!  Her stuff is great, and I may eventually work my way through the rest of her collection, but for now I thought this one was appropriate for so many reasons: Yes, in its very early stages, please meet Storm Clouds .  The name is appropriate because many of us here in the Northeast (but not so much here) just had a big snowstorm.  About three hours south of here they got 40 inches!!!!  We had like maybe 4 here, but it was enough for Oogyhubby to start figuring out how best to deploy the tractor for snow. Also, there's a lot about this past year that we'd all like to forget, but I wanted to mention once aga...

Happy Monday!  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here. It's been quite the Santa's Workshop here lately, so I'll have some things to show you later on, but for the time being here's the latest progress on the NNWA: (I think the flash washed the colors out a bit.  Amazingly enough, the sun is out today!  It's still cold though!) It's become rather large so working on it can be a bit cumbersome (especially if there is a dog trying to put his squeaky toy on your lap at the same time!).  I continue to be very pleased with this project! I heard anecdotally that the sudden and unexpected demand for this yarn created some temporary shortages and probably even caught the attention of the yarn company!  I think that's awesome. So we had a strange sighting yesterday; I didn't realize that Oogyhubby had seen part of it too until I mentioned it to him later on.   I happened to be glancing out the south-facing window of my study when I saw a lone wh...

Guess what day it is????  I hope you're safe and well; we're good here. We had a new arrival yesterday: That's Oogyhubby's hand there, not some strange attachment waiting in the wings :) I've been working more than I've been knitting lately so I don't have much to show you in terms of yarn.  The weather's turned colder and today we have some snow on the ground, but not enough yet to plow (there is a snow attachment behind the tractor you can't see in this pic).  Time to get out all the woolies. Speaking of which - I wore and washed the Squircles for the first time last week, and much to my horror there is a dropped stitch in one of them.  I'll show you a pic later so we can all be annoyed together :)

Hello on this sunny Sunday!  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here. I just saw that Kelbourne Woolens has finally published their November Gift pattern- a hot water bottle cozy!  I think these are a pretty good idea, and would make for a nice gift.  I also think I might have made a couple in my time, and probably would again.  But I'm going to pass on this in favor of another useful household item that I'm working on :) Speaking of knitting - I felted my dad's slippers yesterday.  Our washing machine is terrible for felting, but the dryer does its part with bringing it home.  The slippers are now air drying the rest of the way and I think they look pretty good.  There's a reason why the yarn used in the pattern works the best! Speaking of patterns - I've just received a second request via Ravelry to write up the pattern for BadAss Pawprints .  Guess I'll be adding that to my list of projects for 2021! We strung our outside lights a...

TGIF!  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here.  I've said I'm not about showing pictures of food here, but Oogyhubby created this yesterday and I just wanted to show it off: It's his take on a sandwich called The Porkinator made by a restaurant on Cape Cod.  He spent the day (and actually day before as well) preparing the rubs and the washes and the glazes and all that, as well as cleaning the grill and smokers.  (We used to have two smokers, but one evidently had a (thankfully it wasn't as dramatic as it could have been) gas leak and has been retired.) So, on a ciabatta roll (the sturdiest one we could find) there is smoked honey ham, smoked pork shoulder, applewood smoked bacon, breakfast sausage, cole slaw, chedder cheese, and an onion ring.  With a few fries on the side.  And a ton of leftovers. The pie I made turned out great - but so much work!!  I found myself becoming emotionally invested in its successful outcome as well.  B...

Happy Thanksgiving Thursday!  I hope you're safe and well; we're good here. I thought I'd take just a few minutes to list ten things I'm thankful/grateful for this year.  In no particular order: Friends (yes, you!) and family who continue to be supportive, even in the wake of my unplanned semi-retirement, yarn obsession, and other quirks. Oogyhubby, who gets his own listing (and because we're here together nearly 24/7 so I must drive him the craziest the most frequently). The companies/clients that I'm working for - they provide both a modest income and a sense of belonging and contribution. Technology, even our shitty internet, for making contact with friends, family, and work possible. Resources such as Ravelry and YouTube that enable other knitters and crafters to show the rest of us how to do something like put in an afterthought heel.  My grandmother would be absolutely gobsmacked at all the patterns, techniques, and variety that has emerged. Having my bigg...

Guess what day it is????  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here. We're also preparing for another T-giving when we cook our butts off all day and then eat the meal in like five minutes.  The thing that's discouraged grandmothers and moms all this time. I finished the sewing of the second slipper last evening, so now they're both awaiting a felting adventure:  I'm onto making some other things as well as the hat in lieu of October Gift.  I thought that November Gift would be posted this week, but so far there's nothing new out there. In other news - Oogyhubby and I are looking forward to cooking our butts off tomorrow, starting very early in the morning.  I'll be attempting a fancy pecan/pumpkin pie recommended by JW.  He's quite the chef and baker, so I've already set the bar pretty low for myself, LOL.  I'll post a pic if it turns out OK. Here's to a peaceful and healthy T-giving!  If you haven't already done so, I encoura...

Happy Monday!  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here! The first slipper has been sewn! Benson is looking a bit puzzled because I plopped the slipper right on top of his squeaky toy that he was hoping I'd throw for him to fetch. I also realized that the unfelted slipper is about as big as he is!! I continue to work on the NNWA; it's starting to get a bit unwieldy, but I'd rather have it on me during the colder months than contend with it when it's warm!  (No problem with that for a while, LOL) Oogyhubby helped a friend with a downed tree and they brought some of the wood over yesterday.  One of the pieces looks like a giant chicken - it freaks both of us out, and Benson wanted to attack it - he had full, head-to-tail hackles at it this morning.  I should take a pic, although up close it probably just looks like a hunk of wood. In wildlife news - we saw a deer appear briefly last evening at the edge of the forest.  The black cat has been patrolling ...

TGIF!!!  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here. It's another crazy warm day right before some weekend snow (hopefully flurries more than snow, but you never know around here!).  The sunshine has been very cheerful! During my conversation with the Oogyparents last night, it became apparent, after some questioning on my part, that the following had happened: - The slippers I made for my dad for his b-day were too big (this I knew).  I'd taught my mom how to make them smaller. - She made them too small.  My dad thinks it's because she wanted them for herself, LOL. - Now my mom has at least three functional pairs of these slippers, and my dad has none. - The needle felting we did on the hole at the bottom of one of the slippers during their visit earlier this year did not hold. -  My mom made some cardboard inserts, and my dad put in a real insert, but evidently these slide around all over the place. I thought of the following solution last evening: T...

Hello on Artichoke Pasta Tuesday!  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here. Many, many years ago, before Oogyhubby and I were married, it seems we'd decided to go on some kind of camping trip to one of the Finger Lakes with a pre-SIL and two of her friends, let's call them J and C.  J and C were also a couple.  We had planned to all meet up and carpool, but somehow everyone was super late, so by the time we set off to find the campground, it was dark.  C was driving, and the rest of us were trying to figure out how to get there. Now keep in mind, this is the early 1990s - so there are no cell phones, or Garmins, or even car compasses like there are today.  Long story short, we couldn't find the campground to save our lives.  We drove around and around and kept getting lost.  At one point we found a sign, something like XX Campground, 12 miles.  Some time later, we saw another sign, XX Campground, 22 miles. Suddenly, C exclaimed - What...

Hello on this blustery Monday!  I hope you're safe and well; we're good here. We had a big wind last night that disrupted our snow fence, so we'll have to make some repairs.  Fortunately we won't be getting any big snow any time soon, but it was a bit disconcerting!  There are smaller branches down all over the place, but otherwise it seems that we were spared the worst of it.  Now that I'm a bit more into the NNWA pattern, I'm feeling a LOT better about my selection of colors.  It is going to be one cheerful-looking blanket! So you know how on CSI and those other shows, where they spray the luminol looking for blood not otherwise visible?  If you sprayed our house with whatever substance can detect dog saliva, you would find that the interior is pretty well coated - including the ceilings, I'm sure.  This is due to to Benson playing with his squeaker several hours each day, and also having us throw it for him to fetch.  We end up getting pretty c...

TGIF!!  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here. I continue to be amazed at how quickly each week flies by.  While I realize that it's directly related to how much work I currently have - which is awesome - it's still a bit disorienting to find us here on Friday already and wondering just where the rest of the week went, LOL. Well, at least some of the time has indeed been spent on the first of my dad's Xmas slippers: I've since finished the cuff and started on the second bottom.  Yes, even though these things are double-stranded, double-layered on the bottom, and felted, they do still wear out.  I haven't yet figured out a decent repair process that doesn't take as much time as knitting a whole new one - the tops don't wear out, obviously, but the same thing that makes this pattern ingenious also makes it difficult to repair in modules. I continue to work on the NNWA, although I'm still in the midst of the red section you saw the other ...

Guess what day it is?????  I hope you're well and safe; we're good here. You've heard all about Benson, and at least one of you will remember our beloved Kylie (maybe some others have read the older posts here where Kylie was often featured as an unwilling knitwear model), but our days with Brewster go way back to the mid-1990s.   Brewster was our first adopted rescue canine.  This was before the internet, so the local humane society would publish the dog mug shots in a local paper.  We saw a super cute beagle named Buttons, but by the time we got there she had been adopted.  Then they said - but, wait, we have Brewster! When we went to Brewster's cage, he was sitting there, all fluffed up, very calmly (while other dogs went crazy, sort of Benson-style, LOL).  We got to meet him and thought he had the softest ears ever.  And they were quite long.  (He was also large for a beagle, and we always thought he might have some basset in him as well....

Hello on Turkey Chili Tuesday!  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here. The weather is still insanely warm for chili, but this recipe is so delicious it really doesn't matter when we have it!  And bonus - there's tequila in it!  And it makes enough for freezer leftovers!  Everyone wins! I finally finished washing and blocking the second pair of yoga socks: I've moved my dad's slippers to the top of the knitting pile.  The knitting on these usually goes pretty quickly.  I've made this pattern more than a dozen times and I do manage to mess it up at least once each time.  Let's see if I can't stay focused on it! Speaking of focused - I have much work to do this week - a good problem to have!  Juggling three separate gigs is a bit challenging sometimes, but so far they haven't interfered with each other - only my knitting time, LOL!

So it's Monday already!  I hope this finds you well; we're good here. After a bit of indoor excavation, I think I've managed to find 400-yard equivalents in four different laceweight yarns that could work for the upcoming Casapinka Shawl KAL: They are, from left to right: Misti Alpaca, KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud, Valley Yarns Alpaca/Silk, and Valley Yarns alpaca/silk hand-dyed by the Kangaroo Dyer.  Do you sense a theme here? I do realize that the two greens are fairly close in hue, but the one on the far right has a ton of blue in it as well that I think will show up better once it's doubled. I've got a lot of winding to do in the coming weeks! I continue to enjoy working on the NNWA, and will show you another pic as soon as I've got all four colors in there.  I also need to get going on my dad's slippers and the things I have in mind for my mom.  So many projects!

A very happy Sunday to you!  We're good here! I took this picture of the NNWA last night:   Since then I'm nearly done with the next section which adds the blue.  I really like the colors I chose, but the blue does seem a bit jarring after this section of purple and gray.  I'm thinking that the red will even it all out - stay tuned! So yesterday was a bit of a roller coaster ride, but mostly in a good way!  First, I got everything I needed done completed prior to Noon, after which time I decided I would just hang out, knit, read, whatever.  Then the election news came through - yahoo!!!!! Then last evening I found out I have a bunch of revisions to do for my new gig.  This is part of the process, and not unexpected, particularly since I'm still getting the hang of it, but it was a bit disappointing.  And it also means that I'll have a busier day today than I had thought.  First world problems, though, right? I also don't know what I was think...

TGIF!  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here. I actually can't believe it's Friday already - this week went by really quickly for some reason!  I've picked up a third gig and now I am getting into some serious juggling, LOL.  It's all good, actually. I also wanted to show you the beginnings of the NNWA:  I continue to love working with this yarn! A couple more observations: Casapinka begins a lot of her patterns with ribbing.  At first I thought, what, ribbing on an afghan?  But she had made a comment somewhere that makes so much sense - often times the ends of a knitted thing flare out.  The ribbing is a natural solution to this issue.   Now, ribbing in the middle of a flat item like a shawl or an afghan - nope, not for me. I don't know if you can see them really well in this pic, but the needles I found for this project are part of what came to me from my grandmother.  They're all one piece, and some kind of semi-hard pl...

So Happy It's Thursday!  I hope you're safe and well; we're good here. The Next Nephew Wedding Afghan (NNWA) yarn posed for their portrait this morning:   Well, this is more like the Electoral College of yarns; each color sent a representative skein for the photo.  There is a bag full of the rest of them! I don't often run out and purchase the yarn the pattern designer uses in the pattern - since I usually have something on hand I can use - but I'm so glad I did in this case.  First of all, the pattern calls for a bulky yarn, which I hardly ever use.  I could double up on thinner yarns, sure, and gauge isn't that important for a blanket.  But this yarn - Berocco Vintage Chunky - is really terrific.  It's nearly 50/50 wool/acrylic (with a bit of nylon in there), so it's washable, yet it doesn't feel squeaky.  The yarn is smooth, soft, and lofty.  The one ball I've wound so far had no knots.  This is always a bonus! So I've cast on for the...

Happy Halloween Saturday and the eve of the end of Daylight Saving Time!  I hope this finds you well; we're good here! Fall Back = an extra hour!  Bonus!! I was telling you the other day about how another nephew will be getting married, and that this one has given us a bit more than a month's notice.  In fact, it will be another year, from what I hear! Wasn't I just talking about starting a new afghan as well?   Suddenly I put the two together and we've gone from Sharon's Glamping Blanket (courtesy of Casapinka) to the Next Nephew Wedding Afghan: Except the colors I've chosen will be blues/reds/purples.  The yarn is on its way, so I can show you a pic very soon! In other knitting news - I've finished the first sock of the second set of yoga socks, and have just cast on for the second sock. In wildlife news - Oogyhubby saw a giant fox right in our driveway the other night!  Earlier in the week there was a huge flock of black birds hanging around for a c...

Yes it is!  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here. The Casapinka KAL Cowl is blocking: I've said all along how this was such a super fun project.  Each section went quickly and even though I totally messed up one of the stich patterns, I really like how it turned out!  By way of reminder, all of these yarns were from the stash.  Doubling laceweight so that it creates a fingering weight yarn has opened up a whole new set of possibilities! I also just realized that there is yet another nephew planning to be married.  This one, at least, is planning a year ahead, so next October (at least that's what I'm hearing).  They'll be getting the Glamping Blanket that is among the next of the Casapinka KALs, in the bulky yarn.  There's another shawl in there somewhere, too - no idea where that will end up! The yarn for my mom's Xmas gift arrived today - if all goes according to plan, I'm going to make her a rainbow of kitchen towels!  I'm going...

A very happy Sunday to you!  I hope this finds you well; we're good here. The day is still young, but it's already been a great weekend!  Due to their bad luck with travel scheduling, we had the benefit of a bonus visit from the Ws last evening!  We all had a blast, especially Benson, who may have wanted to keep Mr. W as his play friend.  At one point they were playing a combination of fetch and hide-and-seek, and Benson nose-booped Mr. W when he found him in the kitchen! And - I've got some finishing work going on, starting with the first pair of yoga socks: The second sock is drying on the sock blocker, so I'm calling these done!  The color patterns worked out to be very close to each other, which was a nice bonus! Not to spend too much time celebrating, I immediately cast on for the second pair - it's a completely different yarn/color, but the pattern is the same.  I'll post a pic once I've made some more progress. Neuro suggested that we have a finishin...

Hello on this rainy Tuesday!  I hope you're safe and well; we're good here.  I completed the final clue for the Casapinka Cowl KAL last evening: Of course there are 8 billion ends to work in, and I haven't even worked in the ends on the KAL shawl that I finished knitting a month ago now, but I like them both a lot! I continue to make progress on the yoga socks, and will be winding some yarn for upcoming projects. Speaking of which - October Gift was released today, and it's a beret.  So - Neuro is already covered with her awesome new line of colorwork hats, and I have some super bulky yarn that I'm curious about trying, so hats it is!  I'm off in search of a pattern. In other news, this weather makes me want to do more stuff in the kitchen.  Lately I've been on a homemade crouton kick, mostly because I keep forgetting to buy croutons when I get salad fixins.  And I had a bunch of old (somehow non-moldy) bread in the fridge.  Dust on a bit of oil (butte...

Happy Sunday!  I hope you're safe and well on this lovely Autumn day!  We're good here! I realize we're in the middle of a whole lot of upheaval right now, but I wanted to focus on some happier aspects (well, yarn is always happy, even when it's wrong and has to be started over). One of the reasons I'm so happy today is that I had QUITE THE AWESOME DAY yesterday.  I ended up with an impressive lineup of virtual and live visits with dear friends! In the morning I got to spend time with LL and her snoring pug.  LL is the one who connected me with my upcoming gig, although she's terrific for a lot of other reasons as well! The Ws paid us a live visit that afternoon - although it was bittersweet since it's the last visit we'll have in any form until they're headed back to FL.  But we had a great time talking, knitting, and playing fetch with Benson.  Who, by the way, did not try to eat them at all, and had lots of fun with everyone. As soon as they left,...

TGIF!!!  I hope this finds you well!  We're good here. Late this afternoon it seemed like a good idea to make a couple of small changes to my daily routine: That's a yoga sock (second one of this pair!) instead of a cowl, and a martini instead of a Manhattan (mostly because I'm running low on bourbon yet again!).  Yeah, really shaking things up over here! We continue to have the most lovely Autumn weather, punctuated by a bit of rain mostly in the evenings.  It's dark now when we get up in the morning, even if we're up a bit later than usual.  More and more often we need to carry flashlights with us when we take Benson out! Speaking of Benson - the Ws are taking their lives into their hands again tomorrow afternoon so that they can visit one last time before heading back to FL.  We'll remain masked and socially distanced (well, not Benson, he's canine-immune, evidently).  I'm looking forward to a couple of other virtual visits with friends tomorrow as ...

So Happy It's Thursday!  I hope you're safe and well; we're good here. Not in my wildest dreams did I think I'd complete Clue 3 prior to the reveal of Clue 4 tomorrow, but it happened: This has been a super fun project, and I'll be sad to see it come to an end! I've been working on a special project, but somehow I managed to finish the knitting on it as well.  I'm starting a new gig next week (very exciting!), so I've taken a bit more time than usual this week to spend on the knitting.  I don't expect that will last past this week, but it's certainly been productive.  More pics to follow! In the meantime, the Ws risked life and limb by visiting in person (be-masked and socially distanced) in order to continue Benson's socialization.  It seems that he may have remembered them, as there was minimal drama when they arrived.  He accepted treats, played fetch (of course), and a bit of tug-of-war.  There were a couple of sudden barking/lunging mome...

So Happy It's Thursday!  I hope you're well; we're good here. I'm not sure why Benson was on such a tear yesterday, but his ingestion of non-food items continued into the afternoon.  (Don't worry, there are no pictures.) First there were the mouthfuls of grass.  I'm told that some dogs like to eat grass, and that it's OK, they only rarely throw it back up again.  I guess some grass tastes good?  We don't treat the grass, and (with two exceptions) he doesn't really eat that much of it, so we don't fret if Benson grabs a bite here and there when we're out walking. Exception #1: When Oogyhubby mows, and the mower leaves behind what I've come to think of as Soylent Green disks - although they're grass, not people, LOL (perhaps hamster food might be a better description?).  They're like compressed bunches of grass that have come off of the lawnmower.  Benson makes a beeline for these - concentrated goodness.  They seem a bit much for h...

Guess what day it is??????  I hope you're safe and well; we're good here. We knew from the first day he arrived that Benson liked to surf wastebaskets for tissues and paper, so into the cabinets they all went.  I'm waiting for the day when he figures out how to unspool the toilet paper.  We've been fortunate so far, particular in these times, LOL. So I should have known better than to leave a draft of a project I'm working on with a friend on the floor unattended.  I left the room for no more than five minutes.  I returned to see Benson chowing on it; here is what he managed to do in that short period of time: And he didn't just shred it like a normal dog, he ate the pieces!  Given all of the other things that have travelled through his tiny dog innards, I'm not yet too concerned, but I'll definitely need to Benson-proof my study.  Brewster once ate parts of two library books, thereby beginning his very own library (because we had to buy them!), but I ...

Happy Monday!  I hope this finds you well; we're good here! It seems that I spent the weekend knitting up a storm in addition to virtually visiting with several friends! Again, I completed this week's Casapinka Cowl KAL clue in jig time: I expect we're at the halfway point.  My experience with her cowls is that they run long - which I like, all the more to bunch them up and look fabulous!  (I'm sure she published the finished dimensions, I just never looked, LOL)  I also love going around and around in circles with cowls, for some reason the work seems to go faster. There may be another Casapinka cowl in my near future as well.  Just sayin. I also completed the first yoga sock while binge-listening to a podcast.  Neuro had asked if the socks would match, and I didn't think they would - the color repeat is very long.  However, it's possible that they will match after all, at least that's how it looks right now.  I'll keep you posted! In other news ...

Sure Happy It's Thursday!  I hope this finds you well and safe; we're good here. Also, it's October again!  Time to sing along with U2 . There's no magic formula about the yoga socks, but here's what I do: - Cast on a multiple of 4; often times it's 64 or 68 - K1P1 for as long as you like (most times, about an inch or so) - Change to K2P2 until 6-7" in length (in total, again as long as you like) - Bind off 1/2 of the number of stitches you have in pattern; in this case, I have a total of 64, so bind off 32 -  Cable cast on 32 - K2P2 around, making sure you've got 64 in total again.  It's OK to pick up a couple of extra stitches to close any gaps, you can always K2tog on the next round to get rid of them (nothing to see here, I do this for "normal" socks all the time!) - Continue for another 3.5" or so (as long as you want!) - Change to K1P1 for another inch or so; bind off in pattern. Voila! Here's what the first one looks like i...

Hello on Taco Tuesday! (although here it will be Pizza Tuesday!)  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here. I cast on for the first pair of the yoga socks last evening, and this yarn is going to work out just fine: I'll have to find my notes about the best way to navigate through the pattern, but for now it's just K1P1 ribbing for as long as you want the cuff part, then K2P2 for as long as you want the leg part and are ready to make the opening for the non-heel.  I cast on 64, which is conveniently divisible by 4 and also makes socks that fit most folk. Now that Autumn has arrived, I need to start organizing the rest of my holiday knitting as well.  I keep forgetting that I need new yarn for my dad's slippers (remember he is starting on the annual subscription plan, even though he just got a pair in July - that was the catch-up pair), and I just ordered some yarn for the Dissent Cowl yesterday, ugh.  I also cast on for what might be the last felted coast...

Happy Monday!  I hope your week is off to a safe and healthy start; we're good here. I finished Clue 1 last evening and wanted to show you a (very bad and overexposed) pic: You can't really tell from this pic, but the bottom part in ribbing is the Koigu light purple and the light color at the top is the gray.  I think the flash was a bit overenthusiastic for this purpose. So I'm stuck until Friday with this project.  I think what I'll do next is measure the dog for the new crocheted sweater.  I also need to cast on for the yoga socks.  There's never a shortage of things to knit around here! We met the Ws again at the park today.  It seems that Benson had forgotten that he'd met them already, so we had to re-introduce.  It worked out fine.  There were two husky-like dogs playing in the tennis court, one got loose and came over and for a moment it looked like Benson wanted to play.  That's a good sign.  We weren't ready to introduce anothe...

Hello on this Summery Sunday!  I hope you're safe and well; we're good here. I wanted to show you the sculpture that Benson built for me last evening: He is emphasizing the similarities - our two hobbies, squeak-fetching and knitting - while also providing a commentary on the differences - rubber and wool.  It speaks to how we can all find common aspects, even with the most diverse perspectives. It didn't take this smart dog very long to figure out that if he wanted us to throw that colossal toy (because he refuses to play with any others except for the ones he shreds and/or eats), he had to capture our attention by putting it on or next to the things that seem important to us - computer keyboards, knitting projects, dinner, etc.  You can see at the edge of the photo where some drool got on the chair - there were earlier versions of this that he dismantled (temperamental artist!).  That's how I knew this one was for me - it's on my knitting. Speaking of which - I be...

Hello Saturday!!  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here. I'm not naming it Another Bloody Cowl, but I did cast on for the Casapinka Cowl KAL yesterday, after deciding that the Koigu will be Color A:  I've since knit a few more rows, so I'll have an update for you next time! Also in this pic - you might recognize the coaster.  I found one that I'd made but had somehow overlooked when everything got felted, so I just threw it in the wash and dryer a couple of times.  It needed a bit of shaping, but once I'd wrestled it into place and it dried, it's been off and running! I actually think I have enough yarn for one more coaster (different colors), and with this laissez-faire method of felting, I just might knit it up and throw all caution to the wind again! Also in this pic is a cocktail I made using a kit from a subscription I got myself for my b-day.  Each box features three different recipes using the same base liquor, and they provide all the ...

Sure Happy It's Thursday!  I hope you're safe and well; we're good here. It seemed like doing a gauge swatch was a bit overkill for my first try at a dog sweater - it's small enough that I can just rip it back and start over with just about as much effort.  So I cast on!  It's top down, so I can try it on Benson as I go: I'm thinking of this more as a prototype to see if I can get his dimensions all squared away - he's got a burly chest but teeney little hips.  I'm also not sure if he'll try to rip it to shreds, or if he'll like it!  So it will be an interesting journey either way. I hope to cast on for the Mystery Cowl tomorrow, and at some point the yoga socks as well.  Not much else going on here otherwise!

Guess what day it is??????  I hope you're well; we're good here! With the exception of the yarn for the yoga socks (which I'm going to try first to make sure I like it), I have identified the yarns for my next two projects: the Casapinka KAL Cowl, and my first dog sweater. For the cowl, we need about 175 yards of each of four colors.  Here's what I found in the stash: Clockwise, beginning in the upper left, they are: Valley Yarns Huntington, in Seagull; handspun (feels like a wool/mohair blend); Koigu Premium Merino in color 2163; and JaggerSpun Zephyr in Claret.  The last two listed are the oldest; I remember buying the JaggerSpun on sale about 20 years ago!! Also in the deep stash, I found an old Mary Maxim kit that I think someone had given me, so it's also seen it all: I plan to use the blue, but might break into the other colors for some accents.  We'll see how it goes.  I first have to measure the dog, that will be fun. Not much else going on, which is alw...

Happy Taco Tuesday, and indeed it was!  I hope this finds you well and safe; we're good here. The Casapinka shawl (more like a scarf, I think, but that's OK) KAL is coming to an end, and I've just bound off the last of it.  There are a kajillion ends to work in, and the thing really needs to be severely blocked, but I really like it a lot and can't wait to wear it!  It's so easy to throw a scarf over any top I'm wearing and look sharp for a video call of any kind. Casapinka is moving quickly into another KAL, this time it's a cowl, it begins this Friday, and it lasts for four weeks.  I've signed up, of course, and have selected some lovely stash yarns for it.  I'll take their pic very soon so I can show you! Also, the September Gift pattern is - more socks.  Which actually kind of works out, because I was just thinking about holiday knitting and I plan to make two pairs of yoga socks (no toes or heels) for our popcorn-stringing friends, even though t...

Sure Happy It's Thursday, and hoping this finds you well!  We're good here. I know it's been a while, but there's really not much going on that you want to hear about.  The Oogyparents have come and gone; we had a great visit even though Benson treated them like they were invaders, so we had to do some interesting canine sequestering for the long weekend.  Another training goal, LOL! And, although I was prepared to work on Clue 6 of the Casapinka KAL, it turned out all for the best - the clue has been delayed by a week, and I really didn't have much knitting time inbetween with everything else going on.  I did do some work on an interesting scarf (that may become a cowl, we'll see how it all turns out) that once was very challenging but now is easy thanks to a few years of good experience inbetween! Here is the other gift I presented to Oogymom - she loves these:  I really like this pattern, because it has a self-button thingey.  I otherwise end up hunting ...

Hello on the day after Labor Day!  I hope you're safe and well; we're good here. I realized after my last post that I had mis-remembered what clue number we're on!  I was really working to complete Clue 4 in anticipation of Clue 5, not a week behind all of that!  I suppose I'm in denial about this coming Friday being Week 6 and the final clue of all!  Where did the time go? Well, I can show you where some of it has been going: Casapinka has started to refer to these as tapestries, and of course she is spot-on!  I never really saw this as a shawl but expect that I'll wear it as if it were a large scarf.  It will look completely different after blocking, but for now I'm just enjoying the knitting and watching the colors and patterns emerge.  At the point I took this pic, I was already a couple of sections into Clue 5. You also caught me with an ice cube melting in my Manhattan.  I'm too lazy to swirl them over ice, so I just plop a cube right in the...

Hello on this sunny Sunday!  I hope this finds you well - we're good here! I made the decision on Thursday, the day before Clue 4  for the Casapinka KAL was scheduled to arrive, to switch over to the market bag project, because my parents will be here in four days - eeek!!  I finished the knitting yesterday and it went for a swim earlier today: Of course, after looking all over for the loose ends to work in, didn't one hide out on me until the thing was in the sink??  You can see it right there near the button.  Of course, I can work it in later, I'm just annoyed that I missed it! You might recall that I was lukewarm about this project - I still am, really.  I'm no fan of market bags, but my mom does like to frequent one locally and I thought this might help her with some of the gathering of what she is picking up.  The yarn color is lovely, and the button is beautiful.  So not a total failure. I'll be getting back to the KAL very soon, and I hope...