The solution is to sit outside and watch what you are doing…. (With any luck, I should be able to pack it later tonight.)
trying it again
of course, iPod and other knitting in hand. No clue why I haven’t taken an updated pix of Pagode
and here it is complete with the blocking wires borrowed from MaryHenry
end detail
end detail
Just hoping that it dries well enough to pack on Thurs. I am actually not as pleased with it in this yarn (Louet Gems sock weight 7+ skeins which turned out to have some rather strange color variations even tho it was supposed to be a solid. Ah, well. it is done….
Still working my way through the Miles Vorkosigan series. They make excellent listening. The two on sale “Undead and ……” by MaryJanice Davidson have finished and I am not going to bother with any more. They are much more difficult to hear than to read. Some characters are excellent and the rest you just want to strangle. If there are people that stupid in the world, I just don’t want to play. Shoes are not my thing, nor is “fashion.”
There I was, down to the last three repeats of the border pattern on Scherezade. On the second half, just so you understand.
I reached in my yarn bag, but there was no more yarn.
None.
For the next several hours I tore apart the house: living room, dining room, office, bedroom, sewing/fiber area. I even went through the three kids’s bedrooms without success. Thinking back, I am not sure why I didn’t clean my way along, it certainly would have made my life a lot easier.
This is the shawl for the Eldest’s wedding this coming weekend. The one that I finished up the first half quickly, then ignored for several months while I knit other projects.
It was rather late in the evening when I decided, just for the sake of form to change the sheets on the bed.
This turned up.
natural color, Louet Gems
The library at Camp Doha used to receive up to eight boxes of new paperbacks every month which were then put out on the shelves for all anyone traveling through or permanent party. She gave me a number of empty boxes – they were obviously sturdy. The librarian was more than happy to let me make off with empty boxes. This one dates from July 2003. It made the trip back to Germany at the end of my tour and since then it has made several more trips via MPS. This final time it brought spinning and weaving magazines to the UK.
Next on its stop is Norwich and from there to a Carmelite Monestary in Herts.
Funny how such a simple object can trigger off a cascade of memories…..
progress...
Ok, so this is not a great photo. But I have finished the striped section completely and am now about to start the decreases for the sleeves
no clearer this way...
but use your imagination (grin) as I go from one wrist to the neck, down a front, around the bottom of that front, across the bottom of the back and the second front before turning up the second front and finishing out at the second wrist. Much more believable is that the decreases have taken me under 700 stitches per round…..
Deadline coming up – I am making progress again…
chart + completed on second half
I know I should be taking more pictures of Scherezade. I finished the first half, complete with the edging and the first chart pair of the second side. I am now well into the second chart pair; leaving me the third, part of the fourth, the fifth and the sixth to go. I have eliminated almost a full chart from both sides in an attempt to make it a more reasonable length (daughter’s request).
At this rate, I should be on to blocking this weekend.
Meanwhile (grin), I took a detour to the second Phoenix sleeve, picking both a different chart portion and a different color. The color changes are both the yarn and the lighting.
the sleeves
I like the cuffs –
completed cuffs
which are bound off with both strands to give a slightly firmer control. I also knit them fairly firmly so that they are not floppy, nor will they particularly push up. If I have calculated properly, they are going to be too small around for any of my wonderful daughters to poke their lovely paws through.
Moving on to Haunted – Kelley Armstrong. This is Book 5 (as I remember) of her Women of the Otherworld series. I read them all a while ago. The narrator is doing a credible job and I am enjoying how well Armstrong has dropped hints of character twists, relationships, and turns for later novels.
You remember Phoenix, right?
It must be almost a month since I had it out, busy being distracted by other projects. It is now my reward knitting.
I looked at the cuff recommendations. Once I got over the error in the book (staring with 50 stitches for a 48 stitch cuff) I decided I didn’t like the recommended portion of the pattern anyway. I wanted something that I liked.
Taking a bit from the final of the four charts, and deciding that the cuffs were not going to match –
Phoenix head
which is almost impossible to see from your direction. But when I look at it from mine, it is just fine.
As you also might have guessed, Scheherazade is on the needles again. Now that it needs to be completed in the next two weeks I don’t have much excuse……
Dime Store Magic – Kelley Armstrong
And no, I did not clean house, pick up or do laundry. Maybe tomorrow……
Turned out to be a nice visit in Farnham. The event itself had a lot of people with representation from most of the local fiber of any kind guilds. Had fun just sitting around and knitting, relaxing, showing people stranded knitting on dps. (completed by the end of the day).
Musica
Not much for vendors, but it is not like I really need anything at all. Really. Nothing. We had lunch at a small vegetarian café hidden off of the main way.
Getting home – there was the dog who was so happy to see me that she promptly
Rolling and
Rolling some more
Never mind that the smell of fox feces does not send me into ecstasy….
Lifting an almost 35kg struggling dog into a high sided bathtub is not my idea of a good time. For the second time in less than a month – I have a more than wet dog
No flys on this one
grinning back at me.
Pleased with herself
Started the second round of Scheherazade for the Eldest.
a bit more than first chart
Couple of charts
More of CSI. On season 4.
It is extremely rare that I ever knit a pattern twice. Except for socks. I have literally dozens of sock patterns that I could try, but I find myself knitting a couple of my no-brainer socks over and over and over again. A shawl? I don’t think so.
Which is why I had to take a deep breath this morning before starting with a provisional cast on for the first side of Scheherazade. (Mystery Shawl 2 for those who play).
The first few rows
The cast on is a bit of the periwinkle from the last shawl.
Watching CSI – I am making some progress.
more rows
Finishing up the first chart, then moving on to the second.
about the first chart
and on to the second
and at this point, my hands are itching to move on/back to another project. Short attention span here. Now, there are steeks on the Trees; steeks, sleeves and binding on the Viking; which are sitting there nagging at me. And then there are the long standing UFOs…. Musica should be quick. But really,
I want a new project!
Is it the hard part or the easy part? The vest is complete. Except for the steeks and the ribbing. About now is when my brain goes out to lunch and wants to move on to other projects….
front - knitting complete
Back - knitting complete
I did mention that the Eldest decided that the periwinkle was too busy? Moving on – I am going to knit it again in cream – Loüet Gems. Since the yarn has now arrived – I really don’t have much of an excuse not to start it.
Loüet Gems - cream sock weight
But I also picked up some more Kauni from ScandinavianKnittingDesign the other day.
Kauni - solid purple
Kauni - solid red
including this wonderful color which I think would be fine as one of the colors in a Phoenix. (Meg Swanson’s Knitting Book).
Kauni - EU
Of course, I should catch Raverly up with my projects as well… One of these days
Ok now!
Finished and getting blocked. Periwinkel Shibui in sock weight. Seven skeins. 96″ long and 20″ wide. Six charts on each side of the middle and another for the end. Lovely, well written pattern. Completed (in and amoung other projects in just over a month).
Told you there was a hole in the ground. Right where our neighbor’s house used to stand. Might not be such a bad thing that I am not there to watch the destruction.
hole in the ground
Spent most of the day in various informal coordination meetings on the hospital casern.
Made more progress
More progress
In fact, you can get a bit better idea of the length here.
shawl
Linda Greenlaw on the MP3 player. Fishermen’s Bend
I had company for Sunday after the Mole caught the train toward Rochester.
Dog face
And we spent a quite day, the dog and I, listening to audio books while she snored, chewed bones and kept me company.
I spent most of the day knitting.
There are six pairs of charts for each half. The first half has been done for a few days now. I started on the second half, pulling out the provisional cast on and starting the second half.
I now have the first pair of charts completed and a pile of scarf ….
second half - page 1
The sleeves are done!
Completed Sleeves
Left Sleeve Dragon
Right Sleeve Dragon
Still listening to the Eve Dallas Series. There seemed to be a change in readers part way through the series. When I looked it up – Susan Erickson reads the series. I like her pacing and voices. Seduction in Death has a bit different in pacing, and many of the voices are different. No clue why.