Company's Coming

My neighbors lawn BEFORE. 18" high at least.
And after. Never gets mowed unless relatives from far off are coming to visit. So, max, it gets mowed twice a season. I won't even get into what the rest of the place looks like....
In knitterly news, I neglected to post Baby Blue completed. Here you go.
and on this cropped cardi every stinkin' last thread has been woven.
The weather was nice enough to dip into the 60's so I could wear it. It is an absolutely B-E-A-U-U-U-T-I-F-U-L day. I hope everyone had a pleasant Memorial Day weekend.

Where I Am So Over That

So little DRAMA on the cotton steeking project. Broken needle on the machine took longer to replace than the whole process. I applied fusible interfacing on the inside then zigzagged for insurance. Snip! Snip!
I'll get this posted under "Done Stuff" in a jiff.
Meanwhile, Stashbuster has almost 2 sleeves. Fingerweight yarn sure takes a long time to knit! It would also help if I would stop changing my design on the fly...
I'm so excited to see what I'm going to do with the body. Aren't you?
I'll be away for a few more days. Honor your vets. Ta!
"ROAR"

While I Was Away...

I took a spring break and managed to stay out of trouble.
Finished. (had to wear it this morning due to temp drop. Mmmm, toasty.)
99% there. Needs button band/buttons. I should be done with it by now but steeking cotton causes me to pause and REALLY THINK IT THROUGH.
There were 50 gazillion ends to weave in. Note to self: no stripes for awhile. Hard to tell from the piled-like-a-lump picture but it's a cropped cardi with a slip stitch design.
Stash busting project. Fingerweight merino. Not enough of any one color to complete so there will be color changes. It will have a zipper in the front but not full length. Zip will start at mid chest and zip into turtleneck collar.
"I'll just hold the ball down for her."

Without a Hitch

The groundbreaking ceremony went off without a hitch. The weather held out for the most part. The local school children sang 4 choruses of "This Land Is Your Land" complete with banjo. The gold shovels did their duty. Let the project begin!

A Senator, A Few Reps, You Know...The Usual

Just another Friday at Town Hall. Groundbreaking complete with dignitaries and light refreshments.

In Our New England Town

Friday, April 24
Saturday, April 25
Spring to Summer in 24 hours. The blossoms were so heavy they were resting on the ivy.

Bought a digital TV and struggled to get the gigantic, extremely heavy analog unit out. Nice to see the full screen, not just the lower half. A much more enjoyable viewing experience. I was hoping I would be able to get rid of the gigantic converter box from the cable-company-that-shall-not-be-named but it has to stay in order to see all the wonderful murder, mayhem and reality programming we seem to live for. I watched Chuck's season finale and realized I hadn't hooked it up properly. Details, details. I'm pulling a Scarlett O'Hara and worrying about it tomorrow.

So, Who? Huh?

For those of you who watched "Little Dorrit" and understood the ending--bless your hearts. I love Dickens and faithfully watched this series because, I hate to admit, I'd never heard of it. Now, I was fine episodes 1-4. Up to speed, on track and already knew Amy and Arthur would pair up because--it's a Dickens novel. The question of course was "What is the Secret?"
About halfway through the 5th episode, the horizontal on my TV died and all I could see were characters lips or lower. This has been an ongoing problem and doesn't happen every day. I got through a 4 hour RedSox game with no problems but it was not to be for Little Dorrit. I fear this is the end of my non digital talking head box. But I digress.
I continued to knit and pretend I was listening to the radio and using my rather vivid imagination and what was left of the viewing screen to understand "the secret".
I don't think a full screen with captioning would have helped. I couldn't understand where Arthur fit in and that Amy was the heir, or was she?
I spent some time on the internet trying to find out. Here's what I got--and I'm sorry I don't know the originator of the next line:
"someone leaves money to his nephew's lover's guardian's brother's youngest daughter".
I must have missed the part that noted Mr. Clennam's lover was being guardianed by Fred Dorrit. So when Mr. Clennam's uncle found out, he felt bad and rewrote or added to the will to give the kit and kaboodle to Fred Dorrit's youngest daughter, and if Fred didn't have one it went to his brother's youngest daughter who just happened to be Amy. Arthur is the result of Mr. Clennam and a dancer. Fred Dorrit was playing guardian to the dancer. Mrs. Clennam took baby Arthur and paid off the dancer to raise as her own in order to save Victorian face. The watch with the cryptic initials D.N.F. (do not forget) was Mrs. Clennom's cue to fess up and tell Arthur she wasn't his mum and all the rest. She didn't of course. Instead she jumped out of her wheelchair, found Amy, spilled her guts and after her house fell down in front of her, she dropped dead. I'm guessing Dickens couldn't think of anything to do with her when rapping things up.
As a side note, I noticed when I had a half screen that the Clennam house seemed to be tilting more this episode but dismissed it as a feature of my dying TV . When it fell down, (the house, not my TV) I said,"hum, that was real."
I guess I'll have to go shopping after work.
The knitting I was working on during all this....
Stripes. Cotton. Not needed in this freaky 90 degree weather we're having.

But The Pic Came Out Crappy

I started a zip cardi, but the pic came out crappy. See?
I finished the baby blue sleeveless top, but the pic came out crappy.
I colored eggs, but the pic came out crappy.
Must be the camera.
"Momma told me to leave the flowers alone. I was just sniffing and they fell over all by themselves."
"Momma's no fun."

Uh, What?

Oh, yes, well, um, I'm knitting and can't put it down to blog.

Waiting for Warmer Weather

Screamin' Green is done and ready for its first mission. The weather has dipped below freezing so the wool remains on call. We're all fighting for queen parking spots at work in the morning that will be in full sun when we get out. Yeh, it's still that cold. The weatherpeople are teasing with promises of temps in the 50's by Friday accompanied by rain. That's rain, not snow.

For the next projects up I'm going a bit Blue Period Picasso as the raw materials all seem to be blue. Baby Blue, wool (sock yarn) and cotton (Valley Yarns "Longmeadow"). My brain is in the design stage for the cotton. Like the Screamin Green the yarn is DK weight but this is not splitty at all. I won't have to watch every- stinkin'- single- row for errant loops of thread. It has more heft and should take to the short rowing I have planned.
The sock yarn is variegated from blues to pink and may become bed socks due to my discovery of very thin areas on one of my current pair of bed socks. Bed socks tend to go farther than bed and take more of a beating than regular day socks. For instance, they may scoot out back to untangle Andrew from whatever bush, plant, lawn ornament he's wrapped his lead around; take the trash out in the black of Wednesday night; or just adorn my feet when I need socks at home. No darning for these babies, too far gone.

Spring Walk

I love Barton's Cove. Little duck in the middle performed for me. Notice any snow? No! But nippy just the same. Areas north and south of us were snowed on, heh, heh.
Further down the bike path...
It was a gorgeous weekend.
"Even I got to go outside, it was awesome! And my halter still fit."

And So It Grows

I had a very bad day Thursday. Well, not as bad as one of our senior citizens, (one of which I'm very fond of) that had him seeking medical attention here at the Town Hall. The kind of attention that after the ambulance leaves finds you in your office with the door shut and locked because you're too emotional to deal with anything else. I haven't heard any updates on his condition and that makes it worse. He's in my thoughts.
I went right for the knitting when I got home. Emotional therapy.

I Got Nothing.

"Don't look at the camera no matter how much she snaps her fingers and makes kissy noises."

The Screaming Green Sweater body is-dare I say-almost finished. A few more increases, a bind off, then on to the sleeves. Proportions are much better. I'm pretty sure it won't fall off when I put it on this time. And that's all I've got today.

Mulligan Ugh.

So I was buzzing along, round and round and I started to hear a little beep in my head. I ignored it, knit round and round and the beep got louder. Finally , I put my work down and voiced the words I hate to hear myself say. "The gauge is off." Yep, there was no doubt about it. Once again, the swatch LIED. So the blob of screaming green fabric turned into:

This neat little pile of string. Disappointing, yes. After taking swatch measurements from the now gigantic beginning of my sweater, no wait, I was half done, I redid the math and started again.So far so good. The designer changed the decorative front from 3 "holes" to 1x1 rib straight down the front.

"I helped her calculate the second time. Sometimes ya just gotta step up to the plate."

Hey Lady, Your Sweater's Too Loud

Perky color, eh? Andrew is graciously modeling the latest creation. Yes, the holes are intentional. The same pattern MAY show up elsewhere. Depends on how the designer feels. She's NOT loving the yarn. Splitty. The designer is still entranced with wide/boat neck openings but this one may have gotten away from her. There will be a fitting once the body/sleeves have been separated. No, no, it won't be frogged. The designer will just come up with something creative for the finished edge to uh, take up the slack. She's done it before.
"Yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah. I'll handle the remote, you just pay attention to your knitting."

That's Just Cruel

We had 2 days of gorgeous warm, sunny, in the 60's, ditch the coat, I-can-see-grass days and this morning I drove the ride from h*ll in sleet, snow and freezing rain. Lost control of the car on a flat section of road going 25 mph. No accident, fortunately, but legs were a bit shaky when I reached my destination. The 8" of snow we got last weekend was enough thank you and easier to drive in.
On the up side the scenery is beautiful and very New Englandy. No longer is there grass peeking through, just a cover of white. Evil white. I'm gearing up for the challenge of the drive home.

"she's gotta learn to relax."

From A Pile of String

And there it is. An asymmetrical cardigan with a lesson learned to boot. For those who crochet a steek and are thinking about picking up stitches directly behind the crochet row and not at least a half inch back--your steek will fall apart. You heard it here. My brain told me it would work. The yarn Gods set me straight.
The body is of Valley Yarns "Stockbridge" the edging Valley Yarns "Northfield". A merino/alpaca combo.

"I could have told her the steek idea wouldn't work but she's got to learn these things on her own."

Random Nothingness

My sentry on duty. Not a squirrel, free range cat or bird goes unnoticed. He has several posts around the house. You can tell by the nose prints on the windows.
This blob of black is the latest w.i.p. I'll leave it a mystery for now. Okay, a small tidbit. It's a cardigan with a special feature. Special meaning I haven't attempted it before. Many of y'all will think-"big deal, I've been there, done that."
Andrew finds my hand knits quite acceptable. Plenty of other sleeping accommodations in the house but the smallest surface with wool is the best nap spot.
We're having off and on snow today with a promise of rain. I also received mail from FiberTwist. Interested in everything fiber with a strong showing for hooked rugs? Mark your calendar for September 26 at the Greenfield High School.

Update & Other Babbling

Northfield sweater has been blocked. Warning: Valley Yarns Northfield streeeetches. Good thing it was a rib pattern or I'd-a-bin swimming in sweater. Other than that I love it. My new favorite sweater. Looking forward to working with VY Northfield again. Broke my own swatch and wash rule so no one to blame but myself. Did I swatchandwash Stockbridge? Why no, since you ask. But since I designed it for a snuggy fit I'm not going to worry about it.

So here I was whining about the snow going away, blah, blah, blah and we get a snowstorm on Sunday that lasts all day. By Sunday night it was mush. By Monday morning it was frozen and my car doors had to be persuaded to open-again. A good hip-check did the trick so I didn't have to recruit my hair dryer. Now it's just bitter cold. Ahhhh.

Pick of the Harvest

There it is. "Northfield" with its planted rows creating patterns on the landscape. It's still drying and I'm anxious to wear it before the weather becomes too warm. I'll definitely go back for more of this yarn.

Grass is beginning to show with the waning snow. Sorry to see it go. What! Were I not complaining not too long ago about the crappy weather?!? Of course I was. That was then, this is now. With tomorrow's rain-sleet-rain prediction I'll be whining again. So it goes.

Next project? Well, for some reason I blew by the cotton yarn and went for Valley Yarns "Stockbridge" in my stash. I know very little about Stockbridge though I've been there several times. Doubt it will be a theme knit. It has alpaca and merino like Northfield but lacks the silk so is not as smooth and "silky" as the last project. I like the wide neck of "northfield" so I'm designing same with a raglan sleeve. I'll decide down the road whether it will be a cardi or pullover. As it is black there will be stockinette stitch period. But that could all change tomorrow with the rain....