Oogyknitter

As I suspected, the deer have been holding out on us - there were a couple grazing out on the lawn early this morning (after a rather frosty start, from the looks of things), and one studying me carefully as I drove up the driveway after going grocery shopping.  As the greenery in the woods continues to thin out, it will become easier to see them wandering around back there - often not too far in. I haven't knit on anything but the Hues since yesterday, and am well into the second column of the first large square - so maybe 8.5% complete, lol.  Rather than show you another boring pic, I thought I'd tell you a little about a couple of the podcasts that I like to listen to (usually while knitting!). Back when podcasting was still new, I listened to a lot of science-related shows.  Most of them have wound down or lost my interest by now, but one I've listened to from nearly its very start is The Skeptics Guide to the Universe .  At its core are brothers - the ringle...

I failed to mention yesterday one additional, and rather significant, advantage to the Hues afghan - it's made with acrylic!!!  Which is perfect for yarn muggles, who don't need to be bothered with special washing instructions!  Bonus!! Also, the yarn is Knit Picks Brava Sport - it's very sqooshy, especially in the garter stitch.  What I've learned in the interim is that this pattern, when additional helpful hints such as slipping specific edge stitches are incorporated, is wicked fun to make.  Just when things start to get dull, it's time to add a new color!  Only two colors are used at any one time, and in the column one color carries along, which significantly reduces the number of ends that will need to be worked in later (although there will still be a bunch!).  Here's where I was as of earlier this afternoon: (The darker colors in the two squares on the left look identical in this pic, but in reality they're discernibly different.) Also - t...

Earlier this week, one of the Oogynephews announced that he is getting married, and very soon.  No shotgun is involved, from what I can tell, and hopefully all will end well rather than in a train wreck.  Although I likely won't have it done in time, I'm going to make this for them: But not in those colors - the kit I have is the Decor colorway, which is has a lot of browns (and this green). There are a lot of advantages to this approach, not the least of which is that I've had this kit in my stash for a verrrrry long time; I seem to recall that I got it on super-sale from Knit Picks.  A lot of folks on Ravelry have already made this pattern, so there are some great suggestions for casting on and picking up (and purling on occasion!).  Aside from one purl stitch every two rows, and a few slipped stitches, this is all garter stitch.  And, although I haven't used them in a long time, I am making use of my lovely bamboo straight needles; they are light as a...

I think the combination of lovely weather and recent FOs has supercharged me to cast on a bunch of new projects.  Not that I don't already have a ton of things in process, but this seems so much more fun!! First off is Airplane Scarf.  Right now I'm planning on beads, according to the pattern - every 13 rows, and I think every 6 stitches or so within those rows.  I'm also going to add each bead as I go (with a crochet hook), versus pre-stringing them all: This is just stockinette stitch in the round, so it will be pretty mindless knitting - the only trick will to be sure the yarn doesn't slip off the slippery needles, but it sticks to itself pretty well so losses are fairly low-risk I think. Next is the beginning of Luckdragon; I'm starting with the "end" of the gradient and will work my way up to the start.  For now it's this lovely, deep, bluey, purple: I'm going to need a cable needle and some concentration for this one, as there a...

I do have some actual progress to report today.  Although it's still drying, here is September Hat, complete and deliberately plumage-free: This stitch pattern was so fun and fast, I was really tempted to cast on another hat - this time, in the purple I had identified for October Hat.  I may still do that, once October Hat has been released - what if it's not a purple kind of hat?  September definitely is!! I also finished the knitting on Brioche: It still needs to be washed, but I don't think any blocking is needed with this pattern/yarn combo.  I used as much of this lovely and hand-dyed yarn as I could: This was another super fun pattern to knit, and the yarn is an absolute joy.  The garter stitch sections are perfect for mindless knitting, and they are so sqooshy.  Once I got accustomed to the 4-row repeat of the two-color brioche, it wasn't much of an issue.  I see some hats that make use of two-color brioche as well as traveling ...

We had a great visit with my parents, in spite of the weather being mostly cool and rainy.  We read, played cards, made a puzzle, ate a lot (and I did a ton of dishes!), and of course I knitted up a storm, including the start of September Hat : This criss-cross stitch is super fun and easy, and  makes for a great effect.  The pattern calls it Slip Stitch Stripe.  Who thinks of these things?? October Hat will be out soon, but I'm in the home stretch for this one so I should be back on track! Waiting for Rain went home with my mom, who really likes anything I make for her. although she especially likes purples and pronounced this one a work of art.  Now I can start Airplane, and continue to work on everything else that is in the queue (and beyond!)!! At one point this happened: Oogyhubby:  Oogy, why are you licking your knitting? Me:  Because I spilled some salsa on it (continues to lick). (Fortunately it was on the wrong side, and wasn'...

Check out the weather that was headed right for me yesterday afternoon: Nothing happened, aside from a few drops of rain and a couple of gusts of wind.  It was the second round of cold fronts that were passing through here yesterday - perhaps all the drama went elsewhere?  (Do you see how green the Whatever is after all the rain??) Also yesterday - the yarn I needed to complete the GLC arrived, and then I had a crazy idea:  Oogyhubby was going out with friends that evening, including the intended recipient!  I certainly wouldn't have it done by the time he left, but what if he were to present it upon arrival home?  So I crrocheted furiously for the next few hours, then spent more time than I thought I'd need working in all the ends.  Here is the final pic, before I folded it up and left it for the later presentation: (It's so big that I couldn't get it to fit in the shot - but you get the idea) I felt a great satisfaction upon its completion, ...