Wednesday, January 11, 2023

New Projects


Hello. The sun shines this morning making my spirit lighter. I love the deep gray blue of a bright winter sky. The blue jay with a peanut in his mouth is a flashy character, especially in the sunlight. For the first time ever, a black squirrel just scurried around the birch trunk. Squirrels are far from my favorite crittes but I've never seen a black one in our neighborhood. Until now, I've seen them in the older LIncoln neighborhoods but perhaps this neighborhood has edged into older.  We moved into this home in 1991 and like most of our neighbors, planted trees and yards. Watching a neighborhood mature is one way to mark time. I wish I'd paid more attention in the beginning but our kids were young and I was working. Life was busy.

Today is Unraveled Wednesday so I link this post with Kat and the other Unravelers. The day and posting is a good way to document knitting as well as be inspired by others' projects. 

One way I marked Advent was by knitting on the Guernsey Wrap Scarf. I finished the project on December 30th and late last week wove in all 50 ends. Good thing I don't mind weaving in ends. This project was a perfect match of pattern and yarn. I thoroughly enjoyed the knitting. The yarn was a wonderful gift from my children for my 70th birthday. The scarf is very warm. The next time the temperatures drop down to single digits I'll be ready. 

I'm knitting along on this raglan. The first stripe was too close to the neckline so I ripped back, added six more rows of the gray and then began the striping sequence again. I am not sure I have enough handspun to stripe the entire sweater. I also don't want to knit 3/4 of the body and then discover I don't have enough. My plan is to knit stripes in the yoke and then add a narrow stripe around the bottom of the sleeves, maybe the body, and/or the edges or in the ribbing. I am playing as I go and having a great time. The handspun stripe, as per gauge, requires one size bigger needle. The trick, at 9:30 p.m. in the evening, is to remember to switch needles. Don't ask. It's all knitting, right?

Over the weekend I plied the first skein of Bluefaced Leicester singles. If I do say so myself, this yarn is just beautiful. Of course, it's blue which influences my perception. Greenwood Fiberworks has the nicest preparation with their fiber. It's spins like a dream. I have another set of singles ready to ply so I should have enough for a nice project. This yarn feels like a DK weight. 

My reading isn't as interesting this week. I'm rereading Still Life because it is my local book group selection. Often when I reread a book, I find something new but not this time. I am looking forward to the discussion. My current audiobook, The Masterpiece, is about to be abandoned. I checked out the novel because it was set in Grand Central Station in NYC. The history of the building attracted me but the women characters feel predictable. Why do women characters, particularly the young woman who aspires to be an illustrator, have to be involved with a romantic interest? Perhaps it is an accurate reflection of the time period or perhaps I am just old but it feels trite. I'm going to give it a little more time to see if anymore plot evolves before I abandon it. 

The amaryllis, on my Grandmother's old rickety plant stand, is putting on a show of brilliant red. This bulb is sending up another bud and I wonder how many blossoms will come from it. I can see how it would be fun to have different colors at various stages of blooming. Take care and have a good week. 




13 comments:

  1. That gansey scarf looks like it was such fun to knit -- all those colors and stitches to keep you interested. And I agree: the blue yarn is gorgeous!

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  2. Your amaryllis is amazing. That sure does bring some happy color into the grey days of winter.

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  3. Your scarf looks chunky and warm yet soft and light at the same time. Many years ago I took part in a KAL making knee blankets to donate using guernsey patterns. We knit the fairly large squares- the organiser put together - turned out a bit like mini sampler quilts. The nursing home mentioned recipients would trace the raised designs with their fingers - similar mind occupying notion to fiddle muffs

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  4. Your Guernsey scarf is beautiful, and I hadn't even considered all the ends that needed to be woven in. Well done! Your handspun yarn is really gorgeous - my favorite shades of cobalt blue. I'm sure you will knit something delightful with it. Enjoy that lovely amaryllis now and the blooms to come.

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  5. That blue yarn is just beautiful! I had 4 hold come in at the library today and now I need to decide which one to read next and have the other three pushed out a few weeks. Weaving in ends in not my favorite thing

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  6. Oooh, the sapphire yarn is gorgeous!

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  7. Your scarf turned out beautifully, and I'm glad to hear that it's warm as well. I'm sure that as you wear it, you'll think of the love of your family. I'm very excited to see how the sweater will take shape with the handspun stripes. It'll be a very interesting record of some of your spinning when it's done. And your newest skein is just lovely and looks so well balanced!

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  8. What a thoughtful gift from your children, Jane. The scarf turned out just beautifully; I love your arrangement of colors. (I don't mind weaving in ends, either. I find it meditative . . . ) Your amaryllis is quite stunning (and I'm charmed by your plant stand), and will bring you much joy on dreary winter days.

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  9. Your Guernsey scarf is so lovely, Jane! But Yay you for knitting more with your handspun!

    But your beautiful showly amaryllis is a show stopper! Wow!

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  10. your spinning is spectacular!! Lovely sweater knitting, I'm thinking I might need a sweater on the needles soon but first I am finishing up all the current projects and thinning out my knitting bag! it's stuffed.

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  11. What lovely yarns you have. Your handspun is so pretty - love the stripes in your sweater. and your Guernsey Scarf is a winner!! I do love my plain grey one, but now I'm tempted to do one in colors. But...how many Guernsey scarves does a girl need? LOL I've been enjoying watching not only our birds at the feeders, but also the squirrels stuffing their faces!

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  12. That scarf is lovely! Is it your own design? I like the muted colors in it.

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  13. Your Advent scarf is beautiful - and what a way to mark the days of Advent and remember your 70th birthday! My tolerance for tired tropes is better for in-person discussions, and still ... it can be a slog. I enjoyed the glimpse into Grand Central Station's history with The Masterpiece (and a book set in NYC usually gets a half-star boost from me anyway).

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