Monday and Tuesday a little rain fell, perhaps half an inch. It's not enough to ease drought conditions but any moisture is welcome. The temperatures dropped out of the hundred degree range to the high eighties. Yesterday was cool and breezy and there is a hint of fall in the air. This morning a pair of chickadees are poking around in the birch. I hope they are eating a few of the insects that are biting me.
Our eldest grandson has attended his first week of college classes. Here, public school started Monday. Last week while grocery shopping, I saw Moms and kids coming out of Famous Footwear with shoeboxes. The student in me has a yen for new pencils, yellow with pink erasers, notebook paper, and a pencil case to clip into a three ring notebook with the blue cloth cover. Does anyone else remember those notebooks?
Today is Unraveled Wednesday with Kat and company. Knitting the beginning of this sleeve three times makes me feel like I'm knitting in place. Sometimes it happens. Generally I go up one needle size with the DPN's to knit sleeves. The first try left a noticeable difference in the size of stitches. So I ripped it out and knit with two sizes up which is working for gauge. At the same time, I need shorter sleeves than the pattern specifies so I calculated stitch and row gauges and worked out a different rate of decreases. I knit about six inches based on that Math and tried on the sweater. The sleeve was a little snug so I ripped it out again. This go around I followed the pattern for the first two decreases. At some point, I'll have to decide how to get down to cuff width in the remaining rows.
I'm not happy with the line/crease that shows up on the sleeve where I put the stitches back on the needle. Believe it or not, it's better than the first time around. Now I wonder if the magic loop method would make a difference. Any thoughts? I'm sure changing needle sizes has something to do with it but I've not had the problem previously. I don't like to magic loop but I might have to give it a try. After I finish the first sleeve I'll block the sweater again and see if it comes out. Oy. It's a good thing I like knitting.
I'm reading Blackberry Winter: My Earlier Years by Margaret Mead. Awhile back I read Euphoria, historical fiction about Mead by Lily King. I also know of Margaret Mead in a general way so I decided to read this book. Mead's analysis of her family, relationships, and college years reflect her training as an anthropologist. I wondered if the writing would be dry but I'm finding it quite interesting. It is also a way to see her mind at work.
In other making, I'm harvesting a bumper crop of tomatoes. Saturday evening I picked this tray and pot of cherry tomatoes. Sunday, I made sauce and roasted Juliet tomatoes (a small Roma or a large grape tomato variety) to freeze. This afternoon I'll make more sauce and freeze chopped tomatoes. Come winter, they will be a taste of summer. Excuse the garden get-up. In order to avoid chiggers, mosquitoes, and spiders, I layer a short and long sleeved shirt and jeans when I'm reaching into the tomato jungle. I did take off the large floppy hat before we took the photo.
May your chigger bites be few and your ripe tomatoes free from squirrel bites. I hope you have a good week.
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I do remember those three ring notebooks, and can almost imagine the feel of the blue cloth cover with my fingers. I sharpened a yellow pencil the other day and the scent of the shavings took me back to school days. Your tomatoes are really looking good! We have lots of cherry tomatoes that I have roasted and frozen for sauce but I'm still eating all the regular tomatoes in the form of tomato and mayo sandwiches. I don't think I'll ever tire of them!
ReplyDeleteI always get the urge to buy school supplies at this time of year, even though I don't need them. There's something so exciting about new pencils and blank notebooks!
ReplyDeleteI expect that line you're seeing on your sleeve will block out. You can always try hitting it with a bit of steam from an iron now if you're concerned about it, but I think a good soak and smoothing out the fabric will work wonders.
I'm envious of your tomato crop! Our plants did better in the front yard this year, but our street seems to have some tomato-hungry critter (our neighbors think it's a racoon) that keeps eating almost-ripe tomatoes right off the vine, so I've only managed to harvest a few.
Those notebooks with the blue cloth covers were my favorites! I just loved them, and wish they were still available. I generally do use magic loop for my sleeves, and I find they look smoother. Sometimes, I choose to knit them flat and seam them up instead of knitting them in the round, and that works out, too. Your tomatoes look GREAT. What a bountiful harvest! XO
ReplyDeleteNot sure why my comment posted twice. But there you go! :-)
ReplyDeleteOh how I loved those blue notebooks. And new pencils. And blank notebook pages...just waiting for me to write...something...anything. Like others, I always get the urge for school supplies come August and September. No need, but the urge is there. What a wonderful tomato crop! I plan to make some bruschetta today (IF I can find/manage the time). We've been playing "Tomato Fairy," but still have more than enough for the two of us. Sorry to hear you have chiggers where you are. Fletch talks of them (growing up in Virginia, they were EVERYWHERE). Fortunately I've never experienced them, knock wood!
ReplyDeleteAh, home-grown tomatoes! ! Yours look wonderful! have never had much luck with them. When we lived in Minneapolis, the squirrels nibbled on them long before they were ripe. Here in n.w. Wisconsin in the woods, I do not have enough sun for them. Thank FSM for farmers markets!
ReplyDeleteI really like Magic Looping sleeves... I am doing that now, and it works really well.
ReplyDeleteYour tomatoes though... wow! What a harvest, Jane! Beautiful!
interchangeable chaiogoo needles have small circs and that is what I use for sleeves. I knit with a circ as long as I can!! When I cannot I switch to DPNs without any problems. Maybe it isn't you and it's just the wool + pattern design??
ReplyDeleteI swear our blue sweaters match in color :)