Oogyknitter

So Happy It's Thursday!! These blog postings have been getting further and further apart!  For that I blame my very busy revenue-generating activities that pay for the wine and yarn that I use to recover from the busy-ness.  Hmmmm... Speaking of yarn - I've just completed the knitting on the GMS sweater.  I have to say, it took way longer than I thought, but I really like the way it's turning out.  I've got some ends to weave in, some blocking to do, and some lovely closures to sew on - then you can see it! Ironically enough, it looks like the pattern was released today as well!  I look forward to adding a project page with all my modifications.  (And I also wonder how this would knit up in their wool/tencel blend that they also have listed with the pattern!  The drape with the Lana is nice though.) In the meantime, this has happened: Remember last summer when Casapinka had that fun KAL?  And then she had another in the fall (that I still haven't...

TGIF!!!! Here we are at the end of yet another week! Today's feature: the neons, all ready for their destinies: Right - destinies, plural.  The top skein is visibly different than the bottom two, so now I'm thinking of dividing these into two separate projects, probably cowls!  No great ideas yet but will continue to explore the possibilities! I'm still working away on the first sleeve of the GMS sweater!  So far, so good! I'm looking forward to making chili in the crockpot tomorrow and visiting with the Ws! Stay healthy and safe!!

Well, it's not Memorial Day this year, but we made it happen - The Third Annual Dyeing Weekend Extravaganza!!!  LW and I were here, and we Zoomed with Neuro!!  What you see in the pic is LW's work on the left; she painted many of the dye colors onto the tubes I'd cranked for her.  (Neuro did a lot of painting as well and will hopefully show her pics soon!)  My stuff is on the right; there are two small skeins of pink and purple that I needed to finish socks for our horse friend, and there are three skeins of zebra sock yarn that I just poured the three colors onto.  Everything got heated in the dedicated microwave (except I just let the wee skeins soak in the boiling water just after I'd mixed the dye).  We had an absolute blast!! (I'm thinking of doing a Stephen West pattern with the zebra - although I don't have anything specific in mind just yet!) Of course there is a ton of stuff yet to dye (both yarn and roving!), and I was so excited about cranking tu...

Guess what day it is??????? I am still incredibly joyful about the amazing experiences I had this past weekend with dear and vaccinated friends.  I had unmasked coffee with a local friend on the patio of a bakery/deli, and I think we'd still be there if I didn't have to dash off to pick up supplies for later in the day.  Which is when the Ws came for a visit and dinner!  We sat both outside and inside, ate perfectly ripe and fresh strawberries, sang, and consumed the Balti Baseline.  And hugs all around! There is a different vibe in person.  I'm not sure if I can identify it or even explain it, but it's something like the relaxed silence inbetween parts of conversation.  This seems a bit subdued over the phone or internet.  It was so lovely to have a full day of this! I continue to enjoy my introverted work experiences and meeting virtually with distant friends as well! I didn't get in nearly as much knitting as you might think.  But I did discove...

TGIF yet again!!! What do you call it when you work on only one knitting project at a time?  Serial knitting?  Knitting monogamy?  Knitogamy?  Dexter?? If I post another picture of my test knit, it will look exactly the same as it did last week except now it's a bit longer (taller?).  And I finally started a new yarn cake about three inches ago!  I still have a long way to go, and will probably have to admit that I'm not going to make the deadline (that is, if I also want to keep the job that keeps me in yarn and wine!).  I still can't believe I've managed not to work on anything else, and that also includes spinning, dyeing, and machine sock knitting!! So instead I'll share a picture of our new rocks (I believe their proper name is lake stone?): These will go mostly next to the foundation, where there are mature plantings and existing rocks.  We're waiting for the painters to paint the house first so that we don't have to re-do a whole lot from t...

TGIF - again!!!  Where did the past week go????  I can tell you, I've been doing a lot of: test knitting, working, working, and trying to be a good test student (working!).  I do have some measurable progress: (Another terrible picture, LOL) This is the test knit I'm working on.  It looks a million times better in the daylight of course.  This yarn has many color dimensions - there's blue and teal and black, among other things, and it just beams!  The yarn is a bit rustic but the fabric at this gauge is lovely (even though I find myself picking out the occasional small piece of hay).  I've been coming up to the end of the first cake of yarn for days - someone the yarn is reproducing at the core and I just can't seem to get to the end of it!  I was hoping that would be a good milestone but it continues to be elusive. I have not knit on anything else, nor have I engaged in any other yarn-related crafts.  This may be a first! In wildlife news - ...

So Happy It's Thursday!  I hope this finds you safe and well; we're good here.  And busy!  Oh my!  I'm enjoying my new job but it really gets in the way of my knitting time, LOL!! And the past couple of weeks have been super busy.  Oogyparents came to visit this past weekend, so there were the preparations (things needed cleaning, menus needed planning, supplies had to be procured) and of course the visit.  I like to feed them like kings when they're here, so I'm pretty sure I washed every dish in the house at least once a day!  One evening I got careless and burned the back of my hand whilst taking something out of the oven (if you can even imagine that - it takes a special skill!).  But we had a blast, and the weather was amazing. Not only that, but I now have TWO knitting deadline projects! The first one is a test knit for Green Mountain Spinnery and made with their Lana yarn in Noche.  The pattern is a lovely open cardi with 3/4 length ...