OTN Update and Mid-January Musings

Last evening, as soon as I finished the earlier-posted-about socks, I swatched for an easy vest to go with my turtle necked tops & slacks [for work.] Requirements for the yarn:

1. Inexpensive

2. Easy Care

3. Chunky

4. Colorway to "go with" my collection of current & proposed turtle necked tops: black, red, white, pink, burgundy, green. dark lavender. [I currently only have the first four colors.]

I had in mind a yarn that was maybe "homespun" and in a white-black-and shades of gray colorway. Keep in mind, that Inexpensive was my first priority and Easy Care was my second, so I headed for H.L. with a Christmas gift card. There was absolutely Nothing that came close to what I wanted. However, what I settled on will work. I was thinking of something with more white and less gray. But, it's OK.

And now I have about 5 rows of the back OTN.

Pattern: Lion Brand free pattern - "Denim Vest"

Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun #312 Edwardian

Needles: Size 10 [6mm] circ

Knit For: Me :-)

Mid-January Musings

* I'm still working on my To-Do list that I wanted to finish during my 17 day Holiday Break. I thought it was a do-able list, but I needed two more weeks [at least] to finish it!!

* It's awfully tempting during Mid-January in the upper midwest to question WHY I live here. Oh, yeah. Grandsons, daughters, mother, and a much better job than the one I left five years ago [in the shadow of The Rock (see photo at top of blog).] But, Dang, winters are long here. The weather.com alert icon is flashing red in my computer's task bar. It's trying to tell me about the blizzard watch for this area. Last winter went into the record books for all-time-record snowfall. This winter, so far, we are more than 10" ahead of last winter. I'm typing "DANG," but you can be confident that I'm saying other things.

* Knit projects on the horizon include a pair of knucks for me, and a secret project that will use some of the same yarn as the knucks. More important to finish the secret project first. And I might have to improvish with my pair of knucks. Or buy more yarn. The yarn is Knit Picks DK. I'm thinking that I could probably use some leftover sock yarn from my stash in a coordinating color [and doubled] to do the ribbed wrists. I'm also smitten with a cardigan [to knit for myself] = Berroco's free Rosebud pattern. And then the day after I mused that I probably would never have to buy another knitting book, I bought: Knitted Jackets by Cheryl Oberle. There are five or six patterns I'd like to do. Decisions, decisions.

Dyed Yarn and Other Updates

I finally got around to balling up the three batches of yarn that I had Kool-Aid dyed after Christmas.

I wasn't too impressed with the post-dye results - while it was drying. I actually thought they were all rather ugly- especially the Berry Blue-Lemon Lime-Yellow yarn

BUT...now that I can see the colors "together," I'm actually pleased!

I have finished the Oh-So-Simple Cardigan. I'll get a photo posted eventually. Yippee!! It's finished in time for my road trip!

Now that I have NOTHING OTNs, I'll work on DD2's scarf while I'm away. Hoping there will be enough yarn for a pair of mitt-gloves.

My next project will be to use these three balls of yarn to make felted slippers. :-)

Project Updates

There might be a photo or two later today. But, take my word for it, I've finished the back of my Oh-So-Simple cardigan and have started one of the fronts. I thought about doing Two-fronts at a time, but then decided not to since I complained of the weight of the back by the time I was knitting cuff to cuff.

And, I only have to finish the bottom band and the neck of the Knitting for Peace Orphans for Orphans Sweater. I'm doing K1, P1 for the cuffs and bottom band instead of garter stitch. And instead of doing just a crocheted row or two around the neck edge, I'm going to do some sort of K1, P1 finishing. But the neck is not round, but square, so I'm working that out in my head. I know what I want it to look like. Stay tuned.

Oh, yeah. I *WILL* be able to finish it today. We're closed for the day. Woo Hoo! The roads were awful yesterday. In fact Travel Was Not Recommended in the area. We've had another 7" of snow on top of the 5 inches we had a few days ago. Both storms left fluffy snow - easy to shovel, but drifting badly. So - I can knit...and clean. Maybe I'll do 30 mins. of knitting, then 30 mins. of cleaning, etc. I'm so undisciplined. All I accomplished over my three day weekend was watch the grandsons and knit. Sometimes both at the same time :-) now that Buster usually leaves my knitting alone. [Sounds like I had them all weekend. No, just 3 times over the weekend. While the mama went shopping late yesterday afternoon and Buster napped on my bed, Sport and I took the Christmas tree down. He's a such good little helper!]

WIPs

In my scant free time, I've been plodding away on the Oh-So-Simple Cardigan since before Christmas. I have about 1.5" to finish on the back (and back of sleeves.) But, it's getting so heavy, and going from cuff to cuff it takes forever to finish a row.

Pattern: Lion Brand free pattern "Oh-So-Simple Cardigan"
Yarn: Red Heart Worsted in Painted Desert 0303
Needles: US 8, 24" circ
Knit for: Me!

I felt I needed a diversion, even though I am so close to finishing the back of my cardigan. So I started a little kid's pullover for the current CIC challenge.

Durn it - need better light, but you get the idea.

Pattern: "Orphans for Orphans Sweater" from Knitting for Peace by Betty Christiansen, pp. 106-107
Yarn: Knit Picks' Wool of the Andies Bulky in Wine, Taupe, Emerald, and Redwood Forest
Needles: US 9 straights, and US 9, 24" circ
Knit for: CIC Challenge
I'm doing the center panels in the variegated Redwood Forest. The body will be in Wine, and the sleeves will probably have some Taupe & Emerald stripes, probably.