Victory!

Heh heh.  Fiddly cast on 1, Scrappy knitter 2!

The 3rd time was the charm.  It's nice to know that I am a wee bit smarter than some fingering weight wool, and size 0 needles.

Sigh.

Hoping that the third time really IS the charm...

It's hard to see, but I goofed the tubular cast on

The Swatch Grew Up

It's been a few days ago, but I finished the Monk Hat.  Can't say who the hat is for (there's going to be a lot of that from here on out to Yule), but I did get Don (the Ponderer) to model for me...

I made this hat with Cascade 220 in 9465.  The color is super hard (for me) to capture, as our camera totally resents doing reds and oranges.  

I made a new ribbing that I think flows into the cables a little better.  I assume the Monk that the hat refers to is Adrian Monk from the TV show, Monk.  Not really sure why I thought that, but since he tends to be a little OCD, and I kind of am, too (really?....Noooo...), that prompted the band change.  I went down 3 needle sizes and cast on for the amount of stitches to make 6 repeats, or 120 stitches.  110 (the original number) stitches will not allow the pattern to flow nicely (damn OCD!). Then, I knit 12 rows, making cables on the 3rd row, and every 4 rows thereafter (3 cable crosses).  Then change to main needle.

Since I have an easier time reading charts, I wrote out a chart.  I figured that it would make things easier to plan when it came time to figure decreases.  The pattern is quite vague in how they're done, but I don't mind messing around until I have something I like.

I knitted along, following the charts for 3 full repeats.

I figured that I would have enough extra wool, since the original pattern requires just 150--200 yards of worsted weight yarn.  So I bit my nails and went for it.


I did chart out my decreases, but do you think I actually followed it?  Nooo.... :)   I thought it would be cute to have the one offset cable to look like a bubble, so I did the thing where you pass the stitches to be decreased back and forth until one remains.  I think I saw this technique in an Alice Starmore book.   It makes a pretty closed cable.

The decreases as the traveling stitches move along happen at a faster rate, and I did them at each end of the traveling pairs.  I think that worked out to 2 stitches per pattern repeat  decreased every round.  Yeah, I should have written that down.  Monk would not approve of that, I'm sure. I tried to engineer the final purled decrease to coincide with the second cable cross after the traveling stitches meet. Then the final decreases happened within the knit stitches.  Then, finish by drawing the yarn tail through the remaining 6 stitches, tie off, and weave in all the ends.

Whew!  It's much easier to do, than to try and explain what was done.  And the stealth knitting continues...

Happy Thanksgiving

I am so Thankful for all that I have, and all those with whom I share it.

I am also Thankful for what I haven't, too.

I'll stay home, out of the crush of people looking for their "Reason for the Season", enjoying the fellowship of people who are dear to me.

Savor the time with your loved ones, if (and when) you celebrate Thanksgiving...or don't.

For my Sweetie

I can't imagine that 19 years has already gone by...

Thanks for sharing your love and yourself with me...

Swatching

in the public library...

Mmm cable-y goodness--how I do miss you, where have you been?

So yes, the stealth knitting has begun! :)

Cascade 220, in orange tones (9465)

Version II

I made another aromatherapy pillow...this time in a totally different fabric pattern.

Because pagans can be country, too! LOL

I have a secret love of calico prints...so I figured why not use some!  I call it the shabby-wicca-chic look.  LOL

I stuffed it with lavender, so I doubt I will put a steaming cup of anything on it.  I think I'll use it mostly for when I'm sick (lavender is so soothing, and helps to open up my snoot, too), or tuck it in with the linens.

Using the depression era calico reproduction really looks different from the batiks, no?

There is some learning curve for machine quilting--I don't have a long arm (who can afford that?), and my mom's machine* doesn't have a stitch regulator on it. You can kinda tell that, if you look closely...some of the stitches are pretty big, and others teeny-tiny.  But since I really like making these, I'm digging the practice.  Eventually I'll have one good enough to share with friends.







* It lives!  The machine is fully recovered.  It ought to feel good as new with its new gears, and service.  But it is officially a DNR, now.  Unless she takes pity on it again....afterall, it HAS given her 15+years of faithfull service.  And I'm pretty sure it's older than that.

So

the paper pieced aromatherapy cushion/coaster thingy turned out pretty good...considering I couldn't find the zipper foot (we don't have a piping foot).  It's a PITA to do it without, so I discovered.

I filled the cushion with polyfill stuffing, and a spicy mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.  MMMMM.

This one is too imperfect to give as a gift for someone...so I think it makes a great little place to lay the pendulums I wrapped.

Now my thoughts are turning to Yule and all the stuff I'd like to get done before then.  As usual, I hope I've not allowed myself too little time to get it all done.

I'm feeling

in the mood for some English paper piecing...

Note to self...try to find a template that is more perfectly square to avoid having to number your pieces! LOL

Mmmmm

scones.  Pumpkin scones.

I may have to make these every day!

I'm not a fan of pumpkin pie, but I love, love, love these scones!  They are sooo easy to make, too.

Recipe here:

So good with coffee or tea, especially when served on cute china!*

I did change the spice ingredients to be more like what Mom uses in her pie (which people tell me is fantastic!):

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves 

1/8 tsp allspice

very rounded 1/4 tsp ginger.

And for the spice glaze, which was the only glaze I dribbled on the scones, I added 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla.  It just tastes better with some vanilla in it.

*One day we received a mystery box sent from Florida from my paternal uncle.  In it was this little collection of Wedgwood china.  The tray and creamer are my favorites.  The teapot (my fave!!!) is from my maternal grandfather's collection.