Saturday, August 27, 2011

Waiting for the Storm

As we in New Jersey and elsewhere on the East Coast await Hurricane Irene, I finished the first of my Cauchy socks for my http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhusbahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnd. It was a bit challenging figuring out how to modify the pattern as the yarn is very skinny--about 9 stitches/inch, which is smaller than I'm used to for socks and different from the pattern's gauge. I finished sock #1 this morning and it fits its intended wearer, but does need to be stretched slightly for a perfect fit on the foot.

I'll start Sock #2 right away to prevent second sock syndrome, but will then cast on another earflap hat for one of my daughter's friends--the first of many as "my girls" head off to colleges around the country. I've become an expert at determining college colors from the Web--many actually have a page with their official Pantone colors. This first hat will probably be finished on our 8+ hour drive to take our daughter to school in a few days. I hope the rhythm of the stitches will keep me calm as I prepare to separate from my wonderful daughter!


Waiting for the Storm

As we in New Jersey and elsewhere on the East Coast await Hurricane Irene, I finished the first of my Cauchy socks for my http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhusbahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnd. It was a bit challenging figuring out how to modify the pattern as the yarn is very skinny--about 9 stitches/inch, which is smaller than I'm used to for socks and different from the pattern's gauge. I finished sock #1 this morning and it fits its intended wearer, but does need to be stretched slightly for a perfect fit on the foot.
I'll start Sock #2 right away to prevent second sock syndrome, but will then cast on another earflap hat for one of my daughter's friends--the first of many as "my girls" head off to colleges around the country. I've become an expert at determining college colors from the Web--many actually have a page with their official Pantone colors. This first hat will probably be finished on our 8+ hour drive to take our daughter to school in a few days. I hope the rhythm of the stitches will keep me calm as I prepare to separate from my wonderful daughter!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Coming Up for Air



Wow, it's been almost a month since I last blogged and I feel like it's been a year. I haven't even knit for several days this week, which is unlike me. We returned from a vacation on August 1--after enjoying scenic locales like Prague, pictured above--to find my mom had been in the hospital and was now in rehab (at 90, she is fine now, but there has been a lot to do related to her care--thank goodness I am one of three sisters!); my daughter needing to prep for college and also needing a lot of TLC to get her in the right frame of mind for her big move; and work at its most intense in about a year. If something had to give, unfortunately, it was knitting.


I did successfully get my knitting needles through security in Vienna and Frankfurt and happily knit both going to Europe and coming home. My plane knitting of choice was the Transverse Cardigan, which is mostly stockinette at this point. Since it is a uniqhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifue, sideways construction, it will be a gamble as to whether it will fit or not, but I am measuring as best I can compared to finished sweaters and also favoriting a bunch of examples of this sweater on Ravelry.


I have also been enjoying the Cauchy socks for my husband; I would like to make sure they are done in time for winter and I am not even down the leg of Sock #1 (but almost)--so I think this will become my priority project for now.

Last weekend, after our trip, we went on a 6-hour car trip to visit my husband's parents, so I used the time to make the Gull Hat for my daughter's boyfriend in his soon-to-be-college colors of purple and gold. I loved this pattern and would consider making the sweater in the same pattern in the Norah Gaughan Men book, which I like very much.

So now I guess it's back to the socks, and hopefully more time to knit!

Coming Up for Air


Wow, it's been almost a month since I last blogged and I feel like it's been a year. I haven't even knit for several days this week, which is unlike me. We returned from a vacation on August 1--after enjoying scenic locales like Prague, pictured above--to find my mom had been in the hospital and was now in rehab (at 90, she is fine now, but there has been a lot to do related to her care--thank goodness I am one of three sisters!); my daughter needing to prep for college and also needing a lot of TLC to get her in the right frame of mind for her big move; and work at its most intense in about a year. If something had to give, unfortunately, it was knitting.

I did successfully get my knitting needles through security in Vienna and Frankfurt and happily knit both going to Europe and coming home. My plane knitting of choice was the Transverse Cardigan, which is mostly stockinette at this point. Since it is a uniqhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifue, sideways construction, it will be a gamble as to whether it will fit or not, but I am measuring as best I can compared to finished sweaters and also favoriting a bunch of examples of this sweater on Ravelry.

I have also been enjoying the Cauchy socks for my husband; I would like to make sure they are done in time for winter and I am not even down the leg of Sock #1 (but almost)--so I think this will become my priority project for now.
Last weekend, after our trip, we went on a 6-hour car trip to visit my husband's parents, so I used the time to make the Gull Hat for my daughter's boyfriend in his soon-to-be-college colors of purple and gold. I loved this pattern and would consider making the sweater in the same pattern in the Norah Gaughan Men book, which I like very much.
So now I guess it's back to the socks, and hopefully more time to knit!