How The West Was Spun

WIP Wednesday - 07/23/08

Project #1:  Eleanora Socks

I finished up sock #1 and grafted the toe.  My mum was able to try the sock on while she was here, so I know it will fit her perfectly, and I'll just make sock #2 to match.

Goal:  Cast on for sock #2 and start the cuff chart.

Project #2: CeCe Cardigan

I finished up a bit more than 1 pattern repeat (3 actually), so I am getting close to the point where the body gets set aside to start on the sleeves. 

Goal:  Finish knitting the body to where it is put on hold, and cast on for the sleeves.

Project #3:  New Socks

These little socks are actually moving along quite quickly.  They are just interesting enough not to be 100% mindless, but I can pick them up and work on them as if they were.

Goal:  Finish working the foot down to the toe and figure out what kind of toe decreases I want for this pattern.

All for now....

FO - Paris-Roubaix Scarf

Here's the last of the 2 scarves I had floating around on my needles in a sort of limbo status.  I had been knitting on this project, off and on, in the car or waiting in line, but yesterday I thought it'd be a good project to take with me to my IV treatment to see if I could get it finished up.  While I dozed off before it was totally finished, I did get it off the needles while watching a movie on 16th century Venice and the courtesan Veronica Franco last night - "Dangerous Beauty".  (Stunning costumes and scenery, BTW.)

Project Specs:

• Pattern:  Paris-Roubaix set from Knitspot (the other Anne).  You might remember I've done the mitts and hat from this set already.
• Yarn:  Hand-dyed merino/silk/angora bunny worsted weight in my "Nantucket" colorway.  Very soft, but not overly fuzzy.  I really enjoyed working with this yarn.
• Needles: Size 7 US (4.5 mm) straight.
• Modifications:  None really.  I didn't bother measuring the scarf.  I just knitted until I had finished up the skein of yarn, but came out fine length-wise.
• Notes:  Easy pattern, although it took my brain a few repeats to remember we were not working the pattern in the round (like for the hat and the mitts), when I switched over to the scarf.  I like the fact that while the pattern is different on the 2 sides of the scarf, it still looks "finished" no matter which side is facing outward.  This one plus the mitts are going in a box as one of my Pay-It-Forward gifts. 

Detail of the "front" (on the right) and "back" (on the left) patterns on the scarf:

And yet another reason why I love my friend, MJ.  She's the BBS (bossy big sister) I never had.  She dropped off a bag of homemade cookies yesterday afternoon while I was upstairs sleeping my IV treatment drugs off.  She is nothing if not subtle.

All for now......

And the Answer Is......

All places within an hour or so drive of where D and I will be moving to!

Yup, another move.  D had been asked to make a presentation at the National Laboratory down in Los Alamos, NM a couple of weeks ago and while he was there, they approached him about a full-time permanent job.  Honestly - they really made him an offer he couldn't refuse, so after talking about it on the phone and again when he got home from LA, we made the decision that he really would be silly to turn down everything they were offering, so he gave them the nod, and he is tentatively penciled in to start November 1.

We are headed down to NM in another 10 days or so to look for someplace to live where we can take all of the 4-legged critters.  Based on the (I kid you not!) almost 90 available properties in the area that fit our list of criteria, I think we'll be fine to find a place. 

The irony of the entire situation is that my folks were here "on vacation" this past week. Not so much "vacation" for them.   My dad scraped and painted the front porch. (We chased my dad away by midweek.  No...kidding.... he had to go back Virginia, as he has just started a new museum docent career and was scheduled to work.)   My mum weeded the front beds and mulched those, and put in a few late-summer flowering plants.  She helped me organize the studio and get space cleared in the basement so we could start stacking boxes, and then she started packing pictures and knick-knacks and scrubbed the front door glass panes, and cleaned the porch, and um.... generally worked herself to the bone.  (She swears she's not really tired, but I'm betting she was very glad to get on the nice quiet plane on Sunday a.m.)

Our agent did indicate that we need to have our carpets replaced. (Can anyone say "hooker red" in the bedrooms?)  We got estimates for that, and have the carpet installers scheduled for the week after we get back from NM, so I have a couple of weeks to get stuff cleared out of closets.  The good news is that we'll wind up having a lot of stuff boxed up, since all the furniture will have to be moved for the installation.  The bad news is...um.. we have to move all the furniture for the installation. 

So that's our really big news.  The hardest decision about moving was thinking about leaving all our really fantastic friends here in the SLC valley.  I'm hoping the fact that we are only about an hour from Taos will intice a few of y'all to trek down for Taos Sheep and Wool 2009.  (hint, hint)

Oh, and we could use a lot of very very good vibes to get the house sold here in SLC.  It's not the greatest market right now, but we have to sell here before we can buy there, so the sooner the better.  (Of course, if you are local and just want the place, speak up!)

All for now.....

A quiz

Ok - what do all these things have in common?  For the small few of you who already know the answer, you don't get to play this round.

All photos courtesy of Flickr. 

Check in Monday for the answer!  All for now....

WIP Wednesday - 07/16/2008

Back again with another update!  It's been kind of a whirlwind week.  My folks have been visiting and just before they arrived, I got a large wholesale order (can you say 10 pounds of roving put up in 2-ounce twists?) so I've been trying to juggle a bunch of things.  I did, however, make some great progress on things this week.

Project #1:  Eleanora Socks

I wanted to have my mum try these on and I'm glad she did.  I thought I would need a bit more length, but they are perfect, so I can start the toe decreases.

Goal:  Finish toe on sock #1.

Project #2:  Cece Sweater

Yup - finished up to the point where I need to start the V-neck decreases.  I'm about halfway up the body at this point.

Goal:  Knit 1 pattern repeat.

Project #3 (New!) Socks:

I decided to go with a mindless pair of socks.  I had gotten a skein of an alpaca/wool/nylon blend in a sock club I was in before I opened the online store and frankly, I didn't really care for the dye job.  It was a flat, matte gray with splotches of blue and I couldn't imagine doing anything with it in that state, so I threw some dye at it and came up with a colorway I actually like very much.  I am designing these as I go and will likely have them written up as a free pattern at some point.  Easy stitch pattern, which I think does a nice job of breaking up the handpainted yarn.  I am just about ready to work the heel on this first one of the pair.

Goal:  Turn heel.

Very modest goals this week.  My mum is still here thru the weekend, plus I work this weekend, AND I have an infusion treatment scheduled for Monday, so I will be fortunate to get anything done on these projects at all.  We'll see if I can at least get these goals accomplished.

All for now....