Oogyknitter

Hello on this lemon garlic salmon and green beans Thursday!! By way of food updates - Oogyhubby got me an InstaPot for Xmas, so I've been taking it for a test spin this past week.  So far I've boiled water (to practice releasing the pressure - which scared the crap out of Daisy!), made carrot/ginger soup (was OK), and made a shawarma (delicious but I added too much curry powder; can't wait to make again!).  I've ordered a cookbook full of InstaPot recipes, and will look forward to exploring that too! I completely forgot that I took a picture of Sharon Air while it was drying (I've since worn it 2-3 times already!): There's tons more things in the works but nothing quite yet to show for it all; as usual, more to come on that!  In other news - I came home the other day from running an errand and heard this strange noise in the background.  Upon further investigation, it was coming from a kajillion birds all perched in the tops of the trees nearby (those little dot...

Hello on this Baked Salmon (with lemon!) Saturday!! A few more things are starting to move out of the finishing pile and onto the next part of their journey!  Here is a pair of slippers made from that terrific pattern, Felted Clogs , that I keep re-making for various people because they wear them so often that they put holes through two layers of double-stranded wool on the bottom!  (Oogydad has taken to duct-taping the bottom of his, preferring any slipperiness over hold prevention!): And here is Sharon Air, taking up all four blocking squares and most of the Yarn Room (and too wide to photograph without somehow swinging from the ceiling!!): I've still got some stuff on the finishing pile and of course tons in process, so stay tuned for more! Stay safe and well too :)

Hello on this Freezer Bingo Friday!! I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted something here.  While I still have a ton of projects in various stages of completion, I haven't finished any until fairly recently.  Now I have a few to share! First up - a hat for our physician who is retiring at the end of this year: Closeup of vintage button I used instead of a pom-pom (or nothing): This gentleman has been our PCP for about 30 years, and I thought we'd all retire at about the same time.  We'll both miss him for sure!! This hat gave me a ton of trouble at the end.  It's knit in brioche stitch, which can be a challenge for a brioche semi-newbie, but that part was OK and even the crazy twisted cable cast-on worked out great.  I hated the double-sided brioche decreases, which created a kind of open-work wedge at the top, so I tried to experiment with other patterned decreased (fisherman's rib and such). In the end I gave up and just used a vanilla incr...

Hello on this crazily summer-like November day!  We'll be having shrimp cavatappi for dinner tonight. OK, so last Saturday was Vaccination Day.  Daisy got her rabies and distemper boosters, and I got my flu shot and Omicron booster.  We both took a nice long nap that afternoon and don't seem to be much worse for the wear otherwise!  (And now are full of antibodies - yay!!!) Work has been getting in the way of knitting again; the last couple of weeks have been especially busy.  This is definitely a First World problem, but it leaves me with very little progress to show you. However, I think I've done enough on Twists&Turns to demonstrate some progress: Lately I've just had this at my desk so I can knit a couple of rows here and there during a meeting where I'm not presenting or taking tons of notes.  Which hasn't been often, LOL.  I'm in no rush, and I can't wait to see how this thing evolves.  I've got a LOT more repeats of this section before...

Hello on this beautiful Autumn and spicy chicken burger Monday! We've had the loveliest weather here for the past few days - clear, sunny, warm (but not too much).  With the exception of one day it looks to be nice right until the weekend! I finally started the new Stephen West MKAL, Twists&Turns, and evidently the below gets repeated several times in Clue 1 so this one is definitely going to be a marathon, not a sprint: Of course I'm still working to finish last year's MKAL, so I suppose as long as I have this mostly finished within the year I'm right on track for myself!! I also finished the knitting on Mountain Musings, so will have pics to share when I get around to blocking it.  I cast on for a pair of felted slippers as a holiday gift, and need to get my stuff together to cast on for a hat. Stay safe and well - and be sure to get your flu shot and any COVID boosters you're due for :)  Mine are both scheduled for this coming Saturday!

Hello on this Freezer Bingo Sunday!!  (This is where I find a soup, chili, or stew that I've made in the past and then frozen the leftovers.  Grab one at random, heat it up, add rice, and poof - instant dinner!!) I FINALLY got to dyeing the yarn for the SW KAL (that started this past week!): Neuro - this is a little different than what I was describing to you earlier, but it's along the same lines.  I ended up using Bright Purple (the dark one) but didn't worry too much about stirring it around and distributing the color uniformly, so it's got some nice gradations in there.  For the lighter color I used Wild Iris, but only very sparingly in the dyebath with random yet concentrated areas of speckles and no stirring.  It came out a lot less uniform, and there are areas where you can tell the underlying yarn was a very warm beige (leaning towards peach but not quite).  On top is my AC, Salty Tales by Hedgehog Fibres.  The yarn is still a bit damp today so...

Hello on this prosciutto ratatouille Monday! I realize that I've been seeing H-week candy in our Wegmans since just about Labor Day, but it somehow feels like time is accelerating us into Autumn and Winter!  It's been cooler and lovely lately, but the leaves are starting to change already!  And the last couple of nights there's been a light frost on the lawn and field.  The deer are all over the place all the time as well! We had the pleasure of a brief visit from JW yesterday, and he brought along their dog, Sophie.  J had met Daisy before, but this was the first time the two dogs had met nose-to-nose.  I think they were both a bit bored by it all!  Anyway - it's nice to know that they get along.  Daisy got to sniff the W car all around and I think wanted to go with them in it as well!!  In knitting news, I'm finally starting Clue 4 for Mountain Musings: I accidentally added a couple of rows of the purple before all those flowers, but it didn't s...

Hello on this beautiful Fall Saturday!! The Mountain Musings MKAL has literally taken a new direction: Up until now we've been making a square, in the round.  Now half of the stitches are on a holder, and the other half are being knit back and forth!  You can see a new edge forming in the upper right of this pic (there's a corresponding edge on the other side out of view here). I had a lovely visit today with dear friend LL, who also brought some mini banana bread bundt cakes!  I made some experimental phyllo cups in which to spoon some fruit compote.  Success!  Everything was delicious! Stay safe and well!

Hello on this cool, windy, rainy day!  Oven roasted chicken and veggies for dinner tonight - the perfect meal to usher in Fall!! Having completed the knitting on Sharon Air, I've shifted my obsession to Mountain Musings: So far this one is a square, and these are 7 of the 8 colors involved.  Just a few more rounds to go on Clue 2 and then I think all hell breaks loose.  But I'm not peeking!! Stay safe and well :)

Hello on this fall-like Grilled Italian Sausage Tuesday! Oogyhubby and I are back from a week in Cape Cod, my favorite place on earth!  There is nothing like sitting on a breezy beach under a Sun Ninja with knitting and an iced tea (and OH as well!!!!). Speaking of knitting - I'm only a couple of rows away from finishing Sharon Air: I did some work on Mountain Musings as well, but the other 4 projects I also brought along with us?  Not even a glance!!  I was pretty obsessed with Sharon Air. There was a box from Neuro waiting for me when I got home - with extra needles and the most amazing yarn EVER - Blue Tick Hound!!  Here is a pic of the yarn next to its (very tired after a week at dog camp) muse: I'll be on the lookout for something extra special to make with this!! Stay safe and well :)

Hello on this stormy Tuesday! I'm working away on Sharon Air and have just started Clue 5.  I think it's a fairly large clue, because it came with a disclaimer that we shouldn't feel compelled to get it all done in one week.  I'm enjoying the different colors of yarn and for the most part it's very straightforward knitting! Mountain Musings has been a little more challenging (as expected): First there was the pinhold caston (you can see I haven't exactly worked in the end there, but it otherwise turned out as planned).  Then there was the first bit on DPNs.  Now I've finally switched to circulars but still seem to have a bit of a counting challenge.  I'm enjoying the colors with this one as well although still adjusting to working in the round (it's been a while, I think!). I think I've managed to use every single pair of #5 circular needles I own with all of these projects!  I may need to invest in a few additional sets just to have them availab...

Hello on this garlic shrimp Monday!  (BTW - last night I ended up ditching the asparagus and went with breaded chicken pieces and the squash - threw the whole thing in the oven and dunked them all in marinara!)  No sooner had I posted yesterday when I happened across Stephen West's annual MKAL announcement.  So I signed up for that as well!  Never mind that I'm still working on last year's project - but I'm on the border, so technically in the home stretch (although the border is large??).  It calls for 500g of fingering weight yarn in 3 colors - 200g each of two contrasting colors, and 100g of something amazing.  So here's what I'm going to do.  I have the something amazing that I couldn't bear to knit into socks, and I recently stocked up on a bunch of Highland Sock yarn on sale at Webs in neutral colors for dyeing, so....  Off to the dyeing studio I go!!  I have until early October, which may seem like a lot of time, but when you factor e...

Hello on this something-chicken with some kind of squash and asparagus!!  (I had a menu planned but I've changed my mind!) I recently converted from an Android to an iPhone; nothing political, it was all about the cost.  I wanted the least expensive, moderately functional phone to replace the one that continues to refuse to accept a charge. So I continue to learn new things about my new phone (well, new to me anyway - it's refurbished!).  Just today I learned how to change the camera flash from Auto to On (because it wasn't flashing and I wanted the below pic to be brighter): This is my Sharon Air, 4 rows from the end of Clue 2 and about to add Color D for the very first time (see the wee bit at the top).  I have a feeling I know where this is going next - the Just Beachy MKAL from last year took a similar path.  But I haven't looked ahead (except for reading the stories, which are hilarious). Another really funny thing about my new phone is that I didn't realiz...

Hello on this bruschetta chicken quesadilla Sunday!  (talk about a multi-cultural mashup!) (BTW - the crockpot jambalaya turned out great - and not a lot of clean-up involved. We imagined an all-seafood version (OK, maybe still with the andouille). I used this recipe here .) I continue to enjoy the Sharon Air KAL, but have unearthed a WIP in the meantime: This is the I'm Not What You Think I Am cowl, which is knit flat and then somehow origamied into a cowl shape (I haven't looked ahead to see what's involved, but there is some seaming).  This is with one of the skeins I dyed during our Fourth Annual Memorial Day Dyeing Weekend.  It's used up most of it, which is great.  I'm binding off now, with a cute picot edge, and have decided to add a bead to each - very fun! I may actually start a new project involving some more origami - I think this could be lots of fun! Stay safe, well, and cool :)

Hello on this grilled brat(wurst) Thursday (with potato salad!). May I present Clue 1, complete with Cairo passport stamp: The plan is to start Clue 2 this evening - just in time for Clue 3 to arrive tomorrow!  Will I ever catch up?  Probably not, but it's still a blast! Not sure if you can tell, but the above pic was taken with my new phone - which I finally got up and running yesterday (after a self-inflicted delay of several weeks!).  I loved my old phone but it would charge (or not) unreliably, and it was getting worse.  I got a reasonably-priced, refurbished iPhone and so am in the process of figuring out how it works (LOL) as well as getting all my calendar stuff updated (and who knows what else!). In other news - after an even longer delay (I think it's been at least 5 years!), I got an eye exam and ordered new glasses yesterday!  My prescription hasn't changed that much, but my current glasses are old and are my only pair - and I wear them all the time t...

Hello on this much-needed-rainy Tuesday!  We were originally planning to grill brats for dinner, but have postponed that plan given the weather.  So something from the freezer instead! In spite of knitting a bunch nearly every day for the past few days, I'm still on Clue 1 of Sharon Air!! I finally got to add Color C, though - it's the one with the multiple colors and sparkle there at the top.  It looks awesome!! I'm still not looking ahead to anything, even in the current clue, so I'm not able to say how much I have left to go before I can start Clue 2 (perhaps before Friday, when the next one is scheduled to be released?). There continue to be "side projects" that I don't say much about because they might need to be secret :)  One of them I've made twice - Starry Night , by Laura Nelkin.  Laura is an adventurous designer and so of course she is the one who decided she could KNIT A STRING OF FAIRY LIGHTS!!! My first attempt turned out pretty well, I t...

Hello on this Asian Fish Cakes Tuesday! I was very surprised to realize, at the end of Section Three, that the Sharon Air MKAL pattern called for going back and repeating Sections 1-3 two more times!  This is a new one in my experience with Casapinka :) Here's what things look like after two full repeats and one partial: At least I think this is the ultimate shape for this part - but you never know!  So far it's been great fun and a joy to knit with this beautiful Miss Babs yarn and Casapinka's awesome pattern! Other projects continue along in the background, including one large visit to the frog pond.  My first pass on this got way messed up somehow, but the second time was nearly perfect (and just had to adjust for one extra stitch on one side - a bonus compared with the alternative!).   In other news - it's been so hot and dry that the wildlife have been hiding out, likely back in the woods where there's more shade and probably water too! Stay well and safe!

Hello on this spiced pork and couscous (in the crockpot!) Saturday! The Sharon Air MKAL is off and running!  This is where I was at 8:00 this morning: Both Neuro and I tackled this first fiddley bit before meeting to get the rest of the project underway!  When we last checked, we both had the correct number of stitches going into Section 2. I'm trying not to look ahead, even within this week's clue, so that even every section is its own surprise!   I decided to go with #5 needles for this project - mostly because all my 4s are somewhere else, and 6s are definitely too large for my gauge.  And I actually had to "steal" the 5s from another project - there's a bit more to Not What You Think I Am than would have merited a sprint last evening (it's more like - Takes More Time Than You Think I Would, LOL). Shawlography is still ongoing and is really starting to come together!  I have another project that I hope will be on the mindless track soon enough as well....

Hello on this Sweet Chili Salmon Monday! We've come to the end of our yarn adventure revisit: We had a great time back in 2004, and it was super fun to go through all the slides and try to remember what we did :)  Don't be too sad - our SharonAir MKAL starts this Friday, and Neuro has told me she's been swatching to make sure that her (custom-dyed yarns by her!) colors all work together for her.  I still need to find the right size needles and choose some fun stitch markets for the voyage. In the meantime, I'm trucking along on Shawlography's knitted-on border and a couple other projects as well.  I'll start to share more pics of those now that we're through our PPT. This heat wave is supposed to start moving away, which means we can start to open windows and think about using the oven to make dinner if needed!  I've been improvising with the stovetop - not a terrible workaround, but you can't really make a pizza or magically change those root vegeta...

Hello on this super hot and humid, parm chicken and zucchini Sunday! I don't remember whether or not we decided to visit Yarns Down Under during this trip: They're closed now, but I think we did visit there once (either then or another time) - I'm pretty sure this is where I purchased the (now infamous) Bear Sweater kit, which I still haven't made (but which may need to be resurrected and possibly re-engineered). I can't believe we would have been within 2 miles of Webs and not gone there - especially considering our long history with them.  When we were in college we used to take the PFTA bus from South Hadley to Amherst just to visit them there!  At some point they moved to Northampton, where they are now. I also remember the first time we visited their NoHo location; again, not sure if it was this trip or another, but that first visit was quite remarkable.  It's a terrific and large yarn store - but they also have a giant warehouse in the back that you can s...

Hello on this freezer soup Friday!  (Which may sound counterintuitive, but my experience is that the warmth of the soup after it's been heated in the microwave is a mere fraction of what the stove and/or oven do to the temperature of the house in this weather!) On Day 4 (I believe this is our last day, but I'm not looking ahead!) we're headed to Western MA: Northampton Wools is still in business after all these years - even more remarkable since there is a gorilla yarn store of international fame in the same area! I think this was my first time there, although I've been there one other time since.  As with many aspects of this trip, I don't have a lot of specific memories about it, but I'm sure it was fun and very nice! It turns out that this next part of the Shawlography pattern is a knitted-on, wide border of mostly garter stitch and a slipped stitch here and there at the ends.  It's easily memorized, and may have just transitioned to the Mindless Knittin...

Hello on this pulled pork (in the crockpot!) Wednesday!! Hard to believe we spent only one night in Putney: My memory of the cones flying out of the attic at GMS must have overwhelmed most others, because I don't remember many specifics of our stay at the Inn or our dinner (and breakfast?) there either.  I'm sure all were lovely! I was able to do some knitting during the last two evenings - I finished Clue 3 of Shawlography!  Clue 4 is all about the border, and uses another 500 yards of yarn - so definitely more fun yet to come on this project! Stay well and safe :)

Hello on this ricotta meatball Tuesday! Looks like I grabbed the below from a Putney, VT web site: We certainly were in a lovely area.  At one point we took a walk down the road a bit (and maybe along the edge of a field??); the road became a boat launch right into the river!  At one point I imagined just walking down the road into the river (nothing morbid - just for a nice swim, if you're into river swimming, who knows what else is in there, LOL!!). Neuro reminded me just the other day that VT is also known as the Green Mountain State - and for good reason!  There are some larger metro areas (Burlington, Brattleboro), but lots of green space.  Terrific skiing in the winter (from what I understand!), fantastic fall foliage, and of course quiet summers (I'll assume their spring is a bit muddy, like ours!) I did not knit one single stitch yesterday!  I had a work thing that took quite a bit of time.  It all ended well, and I'm hoping to catch up a bit later ...

Hello on this Hawaiian BBQ chicken pizza Monday! Day 3 of our adventure takes us to Vermont:   We stayed overnight in Putney so there will be lots more said about that!  We didn't venture far, either - the Inn is right across the street from GMS! Ah, Green Mountain Spinnery !!  So many cool things (you can read more on their web site!).  They are a cooperative mill and shop that uses antique equipment (and parts!) to produce their yarns from domestically-sourced fiber.  They're fairly small but do a lot!  Their tours can often take you nose-deep in the inner workings of a spinning mill.  The folks there are super friendly and informative as well! One of my favorite stories about this visit is about when I finally found the perfect yarn for The Ruana - GMS's Mountain Mohair , a stunning blend of wool and mohair in a variety of gorgeous colors.  The mohair takes the dye slightly differently and adds a lovely shimmer and strength to the yarn.  I...

Hello on this spicy pork noodle bowl Sunday! I thought I'd take a short break from the slides today to issue errata. Specifically - what Neuro rightly pointed out in her comment on my last post - the link to The Naked Sheep store I posted is indeed to a place on Staten Island!  Which is alive and open these days.  So if you're in that neighborhood, you have at least one place to visit where you can get some yarn stuff! It looks like the store that used to be in Bennington, VT closed in 2009 or so - some time ago!   Neither I nor Neuro can remember visiting there, so it's likely we bailed on that and decided to spend that whole day knitting in Lenox instead! It's kind of like when had been planning (if you can call anything we did then planning) to visit Great Sand Dunes National Park on our way back to Boulder from Phoenix.  At some point we decided we'd had enough of the American Southwest, and just wanted a hot shower (not coin-operated), a flush toilet, and ...

Hello on this chicken fettuccini Saturday! The next slide in our deck takes us just over the border to a yarn store in VT:  Although I have absolutely no memory of being there, I'm somewhat relieved to see that The Naked Sheep is still open :) This might be a good time to begin the story of The Ruana.  I'd become obsessed with making this pattern from a new (at the time) book by Sally Melville, The Knit Stitch .  I thought our trip to several yarn stores was the perfect opportunity to find the perfect yarn for this pattern.  So, even though I did purchase some of the elusively lovely yet hateful to work with tinsel yarn, I was probably fairly focused on my search for Ruana Yarn.  So far, no major contenders.   What's interesting is that I can think of several possibilities right off the top of my head; this list includes what I eventually chose (more on that later), Brooklyn Tweed's Shelter , Fleece and Harmony's Selkirk Worsted , and perhaps even an...

Hello on this chicken tacos with homemade guacamole Friday!! The next page of our adventure has us wandering in and around Lenox on Day 2: We had indeed been to Colorful Stitches before, and they are still there today!!!  I don't recall if I bought anything there, though! We also tracked down and visited (all?  most?) of Sheeptacular .  This was when municipalities all over the place (it seemed) went crazy with a standard thing (sheep, horses, you name it), commissioned local artists to paint/decorate/disguise them, put them all over the place, and then in (some? all?) instances auctioned them off as a fundraiser.  Can you imagine having one of these in your garden?  That would be so awesome!! We had met up at Colorful Stitches prior to this trip - I think I was headed in one direction, and Neuro in the other (or something like that!).  At least one of those times we got lunch and sat in a park across the street(ish) from the shop and hung out there for a ...

Hello on this ginger pork and broccoli noodles Thursday! The next slide in our deck is a bit of a let-down, because we already know where we're staying and how it has changed over the years: As I recall, the breakfasts here were delicious and leisurely.  Our room was cozy but big enough so that we could put our jammies on early and knit all evening!  I don't recall there being a lot of other places to hang out in the main part of the house.  There was a porch but it had some cat odor issues (I wonder whose apartment that is today, LOL!!!!). I got a couple more rows done on Shawlography last night.  It feels like I've been working on this section forever, but at least it's turning out nicely! Stay safe and well!

Hello on this seafood curry Wednesday!  The next page in our slide deck anticipates our ultimate destination for Day 1: Lenox, MA is a lovely town in the midst of the Berkshires.  It's home to Tanglewood, the summer residence of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and an overall musical mecca.  I'm pretty sure it's one of those places that is a relatively small town but that swells exponentially in the summertime due to its many cultural and outdoor attractions. I didn't get very much knitting done yesterday, but I've managed to complete at least 6 rows of brioche on Shawlography without messing it up (too much!) again. Stay well and safe :)

Hello on this lemon asparagus orzo risotto Tuesday!  (You might be asking yourself - didn't we just have this recently?  Why, yes - probably 2-3 weeks ago now.  But I've finally found the Little Sweetie peppers that take this meal from delicious to amazing!). Next stop, still on Day 1: Um, wow!  I just googled this place and learned that not only has the yarn store closed, but the owner of the building was charged with arson after setting it on fire!  And there were some carbon monoxide poisonings in the building a couple of years ago.  So it's a wonder we survived!! When it was a yarn store, I'm pretty sure I purchased some fancy (read - expensive) yarn that was very fine but that also had random bits of tiny garland in it.  I thought it made an amazing shawl (there was a sample in the shop).  Of course it was an absolute pain to work with!! The Housatonic Riverwalk was lovely - an idyllic greenspace park right in the middle of town (and evident...

Hello on this chicken pesto pizza Monday!  We had some big rains last night and finally are experiencing some enjoyable summer weather - at least for today! The next page of our GNEYA has us headed northward, still Day One.  As I recall, this was a lovely and quiet drive. I have absolutely no recollection of this particular yarn store - but evidently it's still there!!!  I was speeding ahead on Shawlography when - eeek, a dropped stitch!!!  In brioche!!!  That took me a while to get back on track - I'm still becoming familiar with how all these yarnovers and slipped stitches formally interact in the fabric. I think one of the things I love the most about these MKALs is that they "force" me into doing something I might not choose to do otherwise (such as weird stitch patterns and/or crazy shaping!).  It's usually a fun challenge in the end, and sometimes I even do small victory laps when something horrifically complex turns out absolutely stunning. That may ...

Hello on this soon-to-be-stormy chicken flautas Sunday! Day One of the GNEYA has us traveling from an undisclosed location to a now-since-closed yarn shop: The restaurant has since closed as well.  I don't remember much about either, except that I might have purchased a fancy-yarn scarf kit (or I almost did). I think the weather for this first day was cloudy but otherwise unremarkable. What is remarkable is my sheer inability to get this brioche stitch right.  Let's just say I hope that the adjustments I'm making on this row won't haunt me on the next. Stay safe, cool, and well!

Hello on this very warm chicken quesadilla Saturday! Today I present Page Two of our GNEYA PPT: While the primary objective of this project was to finalize our itinerary (and help us determine the best travel path - this was way before GPSs and when we thought MapQuest was a miracle!), I figured since my parents wanted to know where I was every minute of the day when I was a teenager they might appreciate knowing where we planned to be during our yarn adventure!  (I think they were merely amused, but my mom did save this all these years, so there's something!) I seem to recall that Oogyhubby was also on a trip of his own, so perhaps Neurohubby enjoyed knowing our whereabouts during this time as well! So - interesting.  Walker House is now a luxury apartment complex (for an average of a cool $3,000 a month), and The Putney Inn looks about the same - drab on the outside, nice on the inside.  (For some reason this deck doesn't have any web links!) Two of my MKAL projects are...

Hello on this salmon taco Friday! I was trying to think of a good title for this post and for some reason a riff on the opening line of Charlie's Angels struck me as super funny. This adventure happened almost exactly 18 years ago.  Neuro and had I decided we would take a short trip around New England to visit several of the prominent yarn stores and other venues there.  We both grew up in NE and had frequented some of these places before; others were on a wish list of sorts.  A relative left me a modest amount of money so we decided to stay in Bed and Breakfasts instead of cheap hotels (keep in mind this was way before Airbnb and internet was still fairly clunky).  And buy as much yarn as we wanted.  And even have a restaurant dinner or two! We put together a plan (that was way more comprehensive than the plan we had when we hit the road for several days in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico with semi-functional camping equipment and no cell phones!!!) and Oogymom ...

Hello on this Shrimp Linguine Thursday! I'm up to my ears in Mystery Knit-ALongs!! The yarn is all wound and awaiting the Casapinka KAL (I believe it's formally named "Sharon Air") that starts in the first half of August: She calls for #6 needles but I find that #5s work better for me with this yarn and her patterns.  Not sure if stitch markers will be needed, so will choose those once there's more info. I may have completed the tink-ing for Shawlography; if so, I'm ready to start the brioche section over again. There is a third and unexpected MKAL with Laura Nelkin.  It will probably be a small shawl or cowl, no idea yet.  The first clue makes a triangle, and the second clue just came out this morning. I'm also continuing work on I'm Not Who You Think I Am.  I've hit a decrease section, so perhaps I'm in a final stretch of sorts?  No idea, LOL!! Stay cool, safe, and well!

Hello on this tilapia fish cakes Monday! That sound you hear is me tinking back several rows of two-color brioche in order to get back to close to the beginning of that section (but not too far - there's a bunch of double YOs and kpk into the same stitch that I want to avoid!).  It's slow going, but it will definitely be worth it in the long run! I was a little astonished to reach the section in No Idea Who You Are (I change the name of this cowl each time!) where there are decreases!!!  I must be at some halfway point or whatever.  I've got 18 rows of garter so am happily humming along without much additional attention. We've had some much-needed rain today but it looks like some very hot weather is headed this way for the next couple of days!  We'll likely hide away in our various AC-cooled rooms and hope for the best! No pics today - but will try for some coming up soon! Stay well and safe :) 

Hello on this lentil fettuccini Saturday!! In Clue 3 of the Shawltopia pattern there is a section where the knitter can choose to do two-color brioche or two-color non-brioche.  I chose the brioche, and was trucking along just fine when my edges started driving me crazy.  There are increases there, but I thought I was following the pattern.  Now I just worked a whole row incorrectly.  So - I'm going to rip this back to the first part of this section and start over.  Right now it's in Time Out whist I contemplate those efforts. In the meantime, I may have gotten some yarn from Miss Babs for the upcoming Casapinka MKAL: The multi-colored one is sparkeley.  Zzzzomething new!   It doesn't help that Miss Babs and Casapinka are in cahoots with these things; Miss Babs always has lovely things but they've compiled dozens of combos specifically for this KAL.  Not inexpensive, by any means, but definitely a quality product! I have until August 16 to ba...

Hello on this Korean Tilapia Taco Thursday! I've managed to make some progress on my many WIPs, mostly because of the visit we paid to my parents this past weekend (mostly car and leisure time knitting). Some progress on the I'm Not origami cowl: I also finished the knitting on Criterion Cowl, and will take a pic once it's gone for a swim and is blocking. I've hit the brioche section on Shawlography and am finding Stephen West's instructions incredibly helpful.  Brioche is a bit like double knitting, where one stitch gets worked and the other slips by with the yarn out of the way.  I'm enjoying the process and really like how it's turning out.  (Note: I managed to obtain the link without looking at the pic - it's still a mystery to me!!) Also on the needles and somewhat active is the Owl Cowl .  I'm in the middle section of plain stockinette in the round.  Mindless and lovely. I've started a couple of other small projects in the meantime, but no...

Hello on this summery Thursday! Things here continue to be busy but mostly favorable :) I also continue to cast on new projects (see below), work a bit here and there on existing projects (mostly Shawlography and Criterion Cowl , and so finish nothing.  Perhaps one day I'll have 4,000 FOs to show you!! (I do need to attempt to clear the decks at some point because Casapinka has another MKAL coming up in a few weeks and it requires 1600 yards of four different colors of fingering weight yearn - egads!!!). In the meantime, I had a fun series of events happen when I started on the I'm Not Who You Think I Am  cowl (Neuro is also knitting this and may even be done with it by now!!). This cowl starts with an i-cord cast on, which I've done before but not exactly in this manner.  The designer provided a link, so I happily worked along with the video.  Only to discover, since I hadn't read ahead, that the video demo is for a larger cast-on than what the pattern calls for; t...

Hello on this Korean Pork Taco Saturday!!! I find myself bouncing between projects these days, so don't have much of anything to show. However, I did finally sit down and figure out how to work my wee Nano electric spinner!! It's so super cute, and now that I'm getting the hang of it I'm whizzing right along!  Not that I needed any more fiber, but I happened across a super fun and colorful hand-dyed assortment of minis in a merino/nylon blend that I plan to ply randomly together into a fingering-weight yarn for socks! (Before becoming familiar (bordering on slightly obsessed) with the work of the Spincycle Yarns folks, I'd always Navajo-plied any color-shifting fiber to keep the sections of color together.  No more!!!)  And the best part - this little machine, its parts, and a ton of fiber all fit into a small project bag and can travel anywhere (it has both an electric plug and a USB!).  You can check out its inventor and all its relatives here .  What a (rela...

Hello on this Garlic and Ginger Shrimp Thursday!!! Just a quick post today to show you LW's yarns all caked up: This is probably a better representation of what they'll look like knitted up into socks or similar. I went to grab what I thought were the remaining three skeins of dyed yarns and it turns out there are four, LOL.  Neuro and I really went to town!!! Stay safe and well :)

Hello on this even-more-blazingly-hot Tuesday!  We're deploying the AC units and running fans inbetween.  We're expecting the cold front tomorrow, and will greet it with wilted enthusiasm. Here are the bamboo/wool yarns we dyed for LW, soon to be wound into cakes for her knitting enjoyment: In the middle is a delicious adult beverage that Neuro brought.  Just perfect for a hot weather cocktail!! Stay safe and cool!!

Hello on this soon-to-be-blazing-hot Memorial Day Monday! What wound up being a fairly last-minute decision by our standards, Neuro traveled here for a visit filled with yarn, food, and Manhattans!  Look what we did: Well, this is really only my half of it - hers are equally fun and colorful!! I'll show each of them a bit more closely in the coming days.  Two of them are for LW, who wasn't able to join us this year but we had fun pondering what colors she might like! Neuro also cranked a perfect tube on the sock knitting machine using a gorgeous yarn she had dyed on her own! In the meantime - I've been knitting without much to show for it.  I need to finish RP and Cowldici, so you'll see those some time soon.  I picked Owl Cowl back up after getting about 2 inches into it, realizing it was twisted, and then changing my mind about leaving the twist in; I finished the first set of owls and am now in the just-knit midsection (otherwise known as "Zoom Knitting" th...

Hello on this April Fool's Day Friday! What's no joke is the progress on RP: Neuro chose the patterns for the two sections in the bottom half of this pic; they were super fun and look amazing!  I had a bit of a challenge with writing out the pattern for the lace section correctly, but I think it worked out fine.  This last section at the top is called "Butterfly Slip Stitch" and is pretty cool looking. My balls of yarn are starting to get very small, so I may end up playing Yarn Chicken towards the end (unless I come up with some kind of Plan B involving another yarn!!). What is also not funny is that it's snowing pretty energetically here today.  The dafodills are pretty pissed off! Stay warm, safe, and well!

Hello on this cloudy Wednesday! Work on the Rogue Pinion continues.  I'm very excited to be starting Neuro's RPs 7 and 8!! You might not be able to see it from there, but there are at least FOUR places in RP6 where some additional work is required - because I was working with two strands held together, all the fancy twisting loops, and a couple of glasses of wine....  Sometimes only one loop got included and left the other dangling.  Those will need to be worked in; right now they're held in place by stitch markers that mock me at every chance they get! The colors in this photo look a bit more washed out than they really are.  I think looks very pretty and it's been so fun to take turns writing the pattern with Neuro!  (Which reminds me - I need to get started on my next two!) I work on Cowldici here and there but so far it's just the first section in CC1. Work has been busy but good.  Funny how it cuts into the knitting time! Stay safe, warm, and healthy :...

Hello on this pulled pork taco Saturday! I've done the first few rows on my Cowldici; it starts with CC1: You might recognize this alpaca/silk laceweight from an earlier Casapinka project; I still had 8 million miles of it left so thought I'd use it for this project (doubled to make a fingering weight). Work continues on Rogue Pinion as well - I've just started RP6 this morning.  I went one too many repeats of RP5 - it was that fun! Hoping to get a few other things progressing today, more to come! Stay safe and well :)