Loose Ends

I've been at loose ends with my knitting for a bit now. I am knitting but I seem to be taking it slow. I usually have two or three socks on the go and something bigger or more complex on the needles. I finished the year with the knitting slate clean and was in no rush to cast on anything. Quite unusual for me and a bit unsettling. You have seen my bouts of Startitis. Now it is like I have Nope-itis. Maybe it is just that we have enough socks. I have so many and D has almost that amount. I have gotten so desperate to knit for friends. Yes that is right there are three sets of feet not married to or sharing DNA with me that have socks knit by my hands. I know I'm shocked too. I mean it does make me happy when a cold spell hits and they send me pics of themselves enjoying my socks. I really enjoy those pics.

Maybe it is mid winter slump in a very sunshiny place? Is it possible to have Seasonal Affective Disorder in the opposite way? I mean this is peak knitting weather/season why has my mojo left? Maybe it is tucked in a mountain cabin drinking hot chocolate and reading by the fire?

Maybe it is living in a post Covid world, which really isn't post at all. How many times can we tell ourselves it will be better in a year? I mean in a lot of ways it is better but in a lot of ways we are just living with four years of smushed up and elongated time and trauma. Now that I have said the thing that we don't talk about lets get back to knitting.

I've let myself feel my feelings and thought of ways to get myself in gear again. 

First I cleaned up my desk in my knitting room. You'll notice I didn't say cleaned off, because a clear desk is an abomination in my eyes. I don't believe in putting everything away because I know that just means I will be pulling 15 other things out to fill the space. I think I could get three things put away as a kid before I found the most amazing thing I ever saw to play with. I fluffed some stash and stared longingly at it both in real life and on various screens. Did you know I take a lot of pictures of my yarn? When I buy it, when I wind it up, when I'm working with it? So many pictures of my yarn!

Finally my brain picked one out and said my friend that likes blue will like this. So I texted to make sure then I cast on. Finally a sock on the needles.

Mellie recognized that a little encouragement goes a long way and hopped up to give me some warm lap might as well knit vibes.

I even dug out a kit I bought in 2021. You know big yarn, big needles and lots of color changes make for some mesmerizing knitting. I finished a lovely cowl in only five days. I started some matching mitts but they need some work.

While my knitting room is never going to look like this again, not just because we sold that house, a bit of dusting off and organizing can help calm my mind and redirect some knitting mojo back to finding my next projects. 

So keep on finding ways to boost happiness and creativity, even if it involves dusting something, yikes!

A Small Walk Back in Time

I've been exploring options for keeping my many pictures stored together. Oh boy has that been a walk down memory lane. I found so many old pictures. Oh I backed up the recent ones too. For two years it was all Burt all the time.

I miss these two so much. We had 19 years together with Gus the Grey Goose and 17 with Jack the Eternal Little Bro.

Gus made three multi state moves along with three apartments and one house. He definitely loved having a house to stomp through. 

Jack did two big moves with two apartments and one house. So yeah not quite the same shared history but we all happily coexisted for quite a long time. 

Jack would have baked himself to death here. My boy loved his sunshine. He would have been so bored though without squirrels to scare here. 

They were both my knitting companions, we held down the couch really well. 

But no one will ever appreciate a handknit shawl like Gus did. I love that little tail curl holding the shawl close.

 

My cats leave many pawprints on my heart and I am so thankful to have them.

Bright Ashburn Shawl

My knitting mojo has been on winter vacation. I futzed around for a bit till a new project picked me. We have had some snow and colder weather and bright colors just called to me. I bought three Melanie Berg shawl patterns last year. Ashburn is the last one I have yet to knit. Looks like you're on deck.

After some discussion with my NY friend, we decided the two brights should be separated by the calming grey. I cast on and could not resist how cheerful the bright colors made me.

Now that pooling was not a happy accident, but something that regularly happens when your stitch count changes. I don't love it but maybe it won't bother me in the long run. 

I was worried that the textured stitch would be lost in the solid grey portion. But again what project is without worry? I forged ahead and ended up really liking how well it worked out.

Wait this may be the wrong side of the work. Well it is still pretty regardless if it is wrong or right.

I'm on to the final color and still liking how this is going, but I have not had the courage to spread it all out and really look at it. Now that the snow has passed I am afraid I will blind someone with these colors in the Albuquerque sun. 

Ah they are New Mexicans they will be just fine. They are used to bright colors, if the colors are all shades of brown... It is hot and brown here in the summer! So very brown!

Burt's Post

Yes it is me Burt, the fine orange feline that lives happily with my knitter momma and not a knitter dad.

Momma knit a hat but it turned out I was just a model not the intended recipient. That is OK because I don't like wearing human stuff anyways. Even if it makes me look dapper!

I'm helping Daddy solve puzzles by hiding all his pieces. He says he likes a challenge and oh boy does he like me then!

I let him finish a few but I'm always disappointed when they get boxed up again. There is big controversy here because Momma's Christmas puzzle (not pictured below) is all finished but for one piece. They have looked all over and it is no where to be found. Ha I hid it good! Let's talk about ending this diet and we may just find that last piece.

 

Momma is knitting away on something but needs to take some pics to show off here. All I know is she had the wrong stitch count last night and had to unknit a few rows. I think she just needs to cast on a sock or two to get her knitting mojo back but maybe socks don't solve everything.

I'm off to run wildly around the house singing the song of my people for a while till my next feeding. How many yowls to get on Momma's nerves, let's find out...

2023 A Year of Knitting

I don't like rules or schedules my knitting but I love the idea of my knitting yearbook. So this year I did one. Since I had nothing on the needles at the end of the year it felt weird and I wanted to see what all I had done.

In 2023 I knit nine pairs of socks, five for me, three for Hubby and one for another D with a significantly smaller foot than my D.

I knit for the first time my own handspun yarn. Which was really satisfying since I spin bulky yarn. D the hiking hubby needed a pair too but he had to settle for less bulky festival bought yarn.

I spun a wee bit more but the bug has not caught me like knitting, although I am not afraid to buy some fiber.

I knit myself some fancy socks.

And a new simple shawl in New Mexico's shades of brown.

I succumbed to knitting stress and learned to take better care of myself. Go to Physical Therapy it really works!

I knit myself some half mitts to keep my hands toasty before learning compression gloves work better.

I bought from Twisted for the last time.

I knit socks for a friend for the first time, in her favorite colors. She gushed over the yarn when I brought it back from Brno.

Now there are three ladies that have Yarnkettle made socks. 

I hope they keep your feet toasty!

I learned shawls are kinder to my hands than socks. I had fun finally making some shawls I had been meaning to knit and found some new ones too.

I knit D some fantastic rainbow socks.

Mellie signed up to be the Yarnkettle Casa shawl inspector.

I took some socks to my mammogram appointment. Nothing like knitting to stay calm. 

I finally finished my white whale of a project. 

I knit D some non rainbow socks. Alas they are not as pretty!

My sister painted a Christmas picture of Mellie and Burt. 

She painted another one too but I love this one more. Shh don't tell on me.

Mellie got certified as an official festival yarn inspector.

I knit some shocking socks for me.

Burt told me this make do bind off was going to bug me forever so I should rework it now.

All 400+ stitches put back on the needles. Sigh but he was right!

D received his rushed Christmas socks.

We both enjoyed new Christmas socks.

I bought yarn from the Loopy Ewe for the first time in quite a while. See I told you I loved the rainbow yarn.

I knit a gnome and snowman friend. 

Who knows there may be a whole flock of them next Christmas. 

Is that how you name a group of snowmen? 

I found out a group of snakes is a Rumba! 

I would have called them a Scat of Snakes.