A confession

I recently took up several scarf projects.

Three scarves of the same pattern, same needle size, and in the same color but different yarn (so not *really* the same color, but still...).
I am done with one, half way on the other and have already wound the skeins for the third.

This project, which has the side benefit of showing off how different yarns handle cables, is so that I can having something to work on at work. The shawl I am working on has reached a point in the pattern that interruptions by customers could have a dangerous outcome. Not that I have been knitting the shawl at home either. I figure I just need a little break before tackling the next section which has nubs (a new technique for me).

During all of this, I decided I should make a scarf for an old friend. You know, a light something to knit when watching TV, because the shawl needs no distractions, you see. So I asked him what his favorite color was. I picked a super simple pattern that had a great texture and would be just fine for a guy. Then I settled on a yarn from my stash, because knitting from stash is very important and makes any project justifiable.

It is a very nice yarn. Soft and thick with layers of color qualities! Absolutely gorgeous! I had two skeins in the requested blue, two in brick red and two in bright red. In two days I knit up the scarf. It is perfect. The pattern, with one adjustment for knitting without turning, came out even better than I could have hoped for in this fluffy yarn. The scarf has already received acclaim for those who have come in contact with it. This scarf is everything one could love about a non-lace scarf.

Well, almost everything. The one thing it is not, is mine.

I have already promised it out. It ships this weekend. Soon it will travel 1500 miles away and hopefully be appreciated and not regifted. (I will hunt him down and do serious damage to him if this scarf ends up in the possession of another.)

So now I have four skeins of this yarn in colors I dare not wear. They can not fix this problem.

There is a fix though. A very simple one. One that even comes with a bonus of the words "SALE"......

So yeah. Yarn diet? That was so last year.... right?

Two years and some erratic postings

It is hard to believe that I started this blog two years ago, and yet as of next month, that will be exactly the situation.

Admittedly there has been a great reduction in posting here, and over at my regular blog as well. I have my reasons but they sound suspiciously like excuses when put to paper or else wise shared, so I will keep them safe and strong in my mind.

I have been knitting.
Really!

When I haven't been doing other things.

I think that I am having an issue of only knitting for other people right now, having really large UFO's and not knowing what I would knit for myself if I was going to.

I did finish the purse. When last you heard of it the knitting was done and the sewing had yet to be started. Last month I cut the fabric. Last week I did the sewing and attached the handle (incorrectly, it turns out). Then, having decided that 1.5 skeins of left over Rowan Summer Tweed was a bit much, I decided to make an accessory. So I made a simple necklace. I might still make a bracelet, we shall see.


I am happy to report that the mittens got made and, while huge amounts of unwanted snowfall prevented the hand delivery, they did make it to my friend's mom. Thrumming was easy enough, though there was a bit of a learning curve before I found how I wanted to stick the thrum into the stitch. Plenty of online sources about how to make thrums, but until you do it yourself it is just a vague bit of fiddly pictures and words.

Shortly after the gloves I made the matching hat. I can post a picture of the scarf that the hat matches, but not the hat as I have unfortunately developed the habit of giving away the finished product without taking pictures. In most cases I have been able to arrange a photo later, like the situation with the purple scarf for my other friend. (See, I have more than one!)

In even older knitting news, the Surprise Stuff Toy is down to the body section which requires making more stitches and therefore more knitting than just what is there. The airy scarf and the drop stitch scarf are unmoved from their current stage. I think the airy scarf may have frogged itself, but I haven't gone looking for them and they haven't come looking for me and that is just how it is with them right now.
The Icarus shawl received a bit of attention back in February, but then I realized I had no idea where I was in the pattern and I am going to have to rip back so that I can move forward. This idea is not pleasant and as such the shawl is being treated to the silent treatment until we can get some couples counseling going on.

In the meantime I have been working on a stripped scarf for a coworker. He picked out his colors and said he wanted stripping that wasn't too plain. So I worked out to vary the stripes in a spectrum style. It is over half way done and if I really put myself into I could get it down this week or next. The scarf has the advantage of being sized to take to work and be knit. The Surprise Stuffed Toy is very large and the stuffing has a tendency to make fly aways that spread like milkweed seeds upon the breeze. This would not be appreciated in the office.

I have been able to maintain not buying more/new yarns. Excepting of course the $60 skien of light fingering weight silk in gorgeous colors of purple, gold and green. That totally doesn't count.

So, that is our catch up for today.
See you again next post (which hopefully will be sooner than later this time).

Knitting, where have you been?

The surprise stuffed toy, the blanket, the airy scarf and the drop stitch scarf which is awaiting a decision about the stitch pattern and the possibility of frogging for a different pattern, are still in the same stages that they were back in July.

The Icarus Shawl has been going along pretty well and I restarted my toe up socks for tension reasons.

Then I had several projects to knit for the classes, which ended up being this month instead of last month.

The entrelac class went fairly well. No one quit and every one seemed quite happy with my offer of continued assistance if needed.
The MultiDirectional Scarf (pattern by Ann Norling) class started last week and concludes this next Tuesday. This one is going even better, mostly because it is a bit easier of a technique.

I have finished my knitting for classes, but now I have knitting for family. I have a pillow front (in entrelac) and a purse/clutch.

After that I hope to get some Me knitting in, but let us not hold our breath yet. We are coming up on the holiday seasons and I still have a hat to knit to match a scarf I already did. Oh, and a summer weight willy warmer. And I have a stuffed toy to complete.

Good thing colder weather is coming on!

The heat is on

Here it is, just past the middle of July and not a post made.

Currently, my roomie is knitting more than I do.

I am working on a new scarf pattern which I will be teaching at KnitWits Knitting and Yarn Specialty Store in Virginia Beach.
I will be teaching Entrelac, Multi-Directional Knitting and Knitting without Turning in two part classes. The first class is August 4th, 6 p.m. and then the second part and finishing will be August 18th at 6 p.m.

Once I finish blocking my demo, I will be putting it on display at the store (where my Mini Mochi Rainbow Shawl is already on display). After the first class is over I will be posting more information about the new pattern.

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Other than preparing for my first knitting class, I have been working on a hat for a friend's child. I knit this hat once, but that one didn't work. So this time I am taking a teddy bear head pattern and adapting it to be a kid's hat. My roomie says I need to knit the ears too.
Ear issue aside I should have the hat done today.
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I finished knitting a box.
I made it so I would have a place to put my female necessities that was not just a plastic bag or the manufacturers container. The picture isn't the best, but I wanted to get my projects page updated so it will do.

It worked up pretty easy, but not too boring.

Could have been made a bit shorter.
I added a simple crochet edging to the top, to make it cover the box more, after it was done.
Next time I might simply cast on an additional 5 stitches on each side.

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I suppose I have been a bit productive, if you don't look at the surprise stuffed toy or the blanket or the airy scarf or the drop stitch scarf which is awaiting a decision about the stitch pattern and the possibility of frogging for a different pattern.

With warm weather comes slower progress.
The heat and the humidity make working on the blanket out of the question.
The stuff toy is at the larger body section and besides being unwieldy, I am puzzling out shaping again. I don't want to end up tearing back, so I wait for inspiration to come along and provide a solution.
I will be tearing back the scarf, I am not happy with what I have so far. I want it more airy. I want more negative space. The kidsilk needs this.

Thus, if I can finish untangling the lace weight merino yarn I will be casting on for a lace shawl.
Perhaps I will find the lace I am looking for and will get it done too.

Now what?

As I mentioned before, I finished the red scarf.
Then I finished the green scarf.

I have cast on for the second sock, but progress is a bit slow. The math question was solved with "subtract one stitch per inch", so I am going to get this bit finished.
I am still working on the blanket and the laundry soap bag should be finished after a few more weeks (remember, I am only knitting on the bag when I am at the laundry mat).

This means I only have three projects in process.
For some people, this would be enough. Many would say it is more than enough. To me, it means I need to get planning my next project. I don't think I am feeling like a productive knitter if I have less than half a dozen or more projects stacked up. It means it takes longer to finish any given one, but if timed correctly I can get a whole week of FO joy, one right after the other.

So I have been flipping through patterns again, going through my stash and trying to pair things up. I think this is the part of knitting that is the most fun. I have some really, really nice yarn stashed up and there are some great patterns out there and sorting through them all fills me with hope and inspiration and almost lets me forget that on this second day of March everything outside is covered in ice.
As I am typing this, it has started snowing again.

While I was moving through patterns and looking at my Project Queue '09, I started eying the shawls I have lined up. They are top down, but apparently top down means the last rows are even longer as you knit down and up the triangle sides, which kind of goes against my idea of purpose of top down shawls (which is shorter rows as you reach the bottom tip). In general, the starting section confuses me a lot. A really really lot. I shall be needing help to translate what the pattern wants me to do.
Thus, I started looking at different patterns for some of the other yarn I have. I looked at a very nice beret/tam had done in entrelac, which I have yet to try.
Then I got to looking at knitted bags and such and queued up a market bag for some aran weight cotton yarn I have. The pattern is nice and just about screams for some improvisation. Which lead to me thinking about designing.
I do plan on being a designer and I need to increase my knitting skills to get there. I also need to get done with other patterns I need knit up and write out. For example, I have a few variations on my wine bottle that I want to work on. I want to make some adjustments to the pattern and see if I can make more and better wine bags.
This got me thinking that maybe I need to make a list of knitting skills I need to practice and things I need to learn to knit:
Entrelac
Drop Stitch variations
Color work
Sweaters
Top down shawls
Gloves
Cables

I am considering re-doing my Project Queue '09. As long as I knit from stash and have a minimum of one project per month (which I am already a bit ahead on), then I will be keeping to the original plan.

The other day I was lamenting to my friends that I have yet to actually knit myself a warm scarf. (So far I am planning on keeping the silk scarf, but it is not warm, really.) Of course, my knowledge of knitting has improved enough that now I can't settle for just a garter stitch scarf. Nor will I knit myself a scarf of a pattern that I have already done a few times. I think, in order to make a scarf I will be happy with keeping, it will have to be a self designed scarf.
And it will need a matching hat.
Perhaps even gloves to go along.

I think on my next day off, pending it is not a beautiful weather day that begs for outdoor exploration, I am going to pull out all my yarn and reorganize it.
I also need to recount my knitting needles as I seem to be missing some.
This will be an all day affair.

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Stay tuned: Big news coming later this week!

A bit better

I am feeling a bit better now. Still not sure what was going on, but since then I have quit smoking, increased my exercise routines and finished the Red Bunny Scarf (which was supposed to be a Raspberry Bunny Beret, but alas there is no yarn left).

Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera with me to get a picture of it. So that part will have to wait.

The last two days of working on this project were FULL days of knitting. Wednesday I took it with me to the optometrist and work, garnering around 7 hours of knitting. Thursday I took it with me to laundry and then worked on it at home, for 4 more hours of knitting that was nearly uninterrupted. Then I gave it a rough steam blocking and some tassels.

The scarf was bagged for the trip and I turned to my stash to figure out what project I was going to take with me. I always take knitting with me to her house so that I can stay busy while her husband flips restlessly through TV stations and her and her son are in the kitchen cooking.
This time though, a strange thing happened.

I wanted to grab a project to knit, but I wanted to not knit for a bit.

I was worn out.
Tired and arm-sore of knitting.
Needing to take a break.

Yet.... I wanted to work on something.
Sigh.

In the end I took nothing with me. I enjoyed the respite and managed to get control of the remote, thus stabilizing the tube for a while.

Yes, she loved the scarf and I told her about how to care for a hand knit object of Angora.
Before we left, I took a moment to pet the yarn. It was supposed to be a hat and was even cast on and knit up to be a hat! Due to a sizing error it was frogged all the way back and somehow ended up not being a hat. Nor being mine.
It was one of my cherished yarns and I shall miss it.


I am on a stash diet this year, so I will not run out and try to buy more bunny. I shall try to stick with knitting from stash.

I shall also dream of owning my own yarn store, thus eliminating the need to have a stash diet.

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In other news I am now facing a new problem.
This issue is a tough one and I know that being vented on a knitting blog will lead to some bias in any responses received.

I got my tax returns.
I got a bonus from my job.
In short, I have fire in my pants. Near the pocket. Um, nevermind.

I have a couple of choices.

I can get a new and FASTER scooter like this! This would be very, very welcome and would provide a lot of improvements.


OR-

I could get something like this:


OR-



I could continue saving for the trip my friends and I are planning, in which we shall fly out to either Malta, Sicily and such or Athens, Mykonos and Santorini.



Please don't misunderstand, I am not rich yet. I simply have a knack for finding great deals, and I know I can arrange this trip to the Islands for around $1k per person (which means saving twice as much before leaving). This is the same as the amount we planned on for our trip to St. Paul, Minn.

How do I choose?

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I also have another question for you.
As I still have not replaced my sock knitting book, I am lacking sock knitting math.
Can anyone tell me what the formula is?
I know it starts:
X = sts per inch.
Then it goes something like:
foot=50% of X
leg=??% of X
And there are other parts too.

Help?

Scarves for the sake of it

Mentally, I am in a weird place right now.

In knitting terms it means that I am not working on the projects that are on needles. I think they understand this in their little fibers as they are all sitting quietly on the sidelines, waiting patiently. The blanket, the sock, the curtains and such have all become silent witnesses to my simmering mind.


That is not to say I am not knitting.
Rather, it means that instead of having a diversity of patterns in my mind, I am focusing on the last pattern I have memorized. I have added a garter border to the Isobel pattern so that I can avoid blocking and can easily get away with a thicker yarn.


Years ago I started knitting and I asked my Grandma what her favorite color was. She likes green, a deep forest-y green. I told her I would knit her a scarf.
I have cast on and am a good ways in.

A few days ago, my roomie's mother sent me a text asking if we were still alive or had forgotten her. The "mother's guilt" did not stop there. When we talked on the phone she mentioned that she was still wearing the scarf I had knit her years ago. (Which was actually a project she was supposed to do but she couldn't get into knitting and had me knit if for her. She was taking a class and happily displayed the scarf as her own.)

The fact is, it was my first fun fur scarf on size US15 needles and started the craze as all kinds of co-workers saw it and wanted one of their own. It really is a flimsy, strangely colored scarf and not one of great pride. The nice thing is that size US15 needles and thin novelty yarn hide all possible gauge issues.
But I know the truth.

So today I cast on another Isobel-variant scarf, this one with the borders and one less repeat, in my red Classic Elites Yarn-Lush. I picked the red yarn because red is her favorite color and it was either the beautiful angora that was going to be a hat for me or the Dark Horse Fantasy yarn that I am hoping to make a sweater or vest with (as soon as I learn this color thing.)
Marvel at the wonder of "mother's guilt" and how it can part a knitter from good yarn!

Sure, I could have gone out and purchased more yarn, but a) I am really trying to cut down the stash b) if I get this done with one skein I might still get away with a small hat for me (it will have to be knit top-down for safety.)
Besides, I know I still have other precious yarns.

My knitting right now will be simple scarves of the same pattern with minor variations because I don't think I could handle any thing else right now. The stitch repeat in this pattern is fast. The fact that it is a scarf with 37 sts per row (31 sts on the red scarf) also helps make it relatively fast. Quick easy projects for me right now. I think I am needing the comfort of productivity and visible results to sooth me.

I am re-learning why so many knitters start on scarves and stay with them for years. There is a lot of options with scarves, really. There is a whole bunch of little changes you can make to increase ones skill or even just to play around with. Most people love scarves and they are easily adapted to many other tasks, besides warming necks. You can decorate an room with scarves and you can make them any size you want.

Scarves are like the dogs of the knitting world; loyal and unconditionally loving
us, even if we say mean things. The scarves wait for us while we go off to work on other things and are right their waiting for us when we want adventure or relaxation.

Scarves are typically not very demanding projects. They tend to be friendly, cuddly projects (unless it is a deviant pattern or it is paired with a deviant yarn) that welcome you to knit at your own pace and try different things as you go.

For example: This scarf pattern has happily allowed me to get more practice knitting backwards (which, for me, means moving stitches from left to right). When I did my variation to add a garter edging with the green scarf, I finally got to learn how to purl backwards, incorrectly and then correctly. I can now comfortably knit either way. With the red scarf, I practiced yarn overs from left to right and was rewarded with proof that I now get how other people wrap their yarn on the needles. Some day, I'll figure out what most people are talking about when they say clockwise/counter-clockwise, but not today.


When my brain begins to feel better I'll get back to work on my existing projects, the Project Queue of 2009 and perhaps even get that second sock cast on. Right now, it is better that I don't think of all of those things.
Better for me, the simple unconditional love of the scarf.

Blocking Leads to Brain Explosions

Early last month I cast on for the Isobel scarf, using Debbie Bliss Pure Silk. I finished the project just before the end of the month.

Prior to finishing I had searched the threads in Ravelry for anything about blocking silk and was thrilled to read post after post of how durable silk is and how you can block it to within an inch of the yarn's life with no worries. I read that soaking silk is fine if it is not a bold color as the only problem that comes from soaking is the dye bleeding, so vibrant colors should be carefully dampened rather than set in water for hours.

Today I planned to get the blocking started.
To be thorough I started searching the threads again. Funny, this time I find thread after thread saying silk becomes fragile when wet and that blocking should be done with light steam and carefully.


Some people say silk should not be soaked and instead just immersed in water long enough to be wet, others say that silk needs to soak for hours because it is dense and won't get wet all through without giving lots of time.



There seemed to be a bit of question regarding the weight of the yarn, but in general today's searches only brought up warnings while the previous search was all confidence.

In the end I soaked the silk for about an hour. Then I blocked it rather strongly. It took almost 2 hours and 200 paper clips to get the scarf fully blocked. By the time I was done blocking it out the silk was mostly dry, so I gave it a light spray of water once it was all stretched out.



The results are quite pretty. The scarf has a hint of curling at the edges, so I probably could have blocked it with a bit more force. I am very please with the results and I have half a skein of the silk left over. I am already looking for a suitable project for 23 grams of silk.


This post alone took a couple of days, mostly due to other issues like the need for clean clothes, charged batteries, sleep and work. At least I can count off another one of the Twelve Projects for 2009 Project Queue.

Moving forward, Stitch by Stitch

The Isobel Scarf is not a difficult lace pattern.
It is actually well behaved and even asks permission before leaving the table.

So why have I not finished it yet?

While the pattern is a model lace pattern, the yarn is the rebellious, pouty sister.

The silk yarn is moody and sometime does not want to make a stitch. If you attempt to make her, she throws a temper tantrum and you end up having to frog back the row to figure out where the missing stitch is, only to find out no stitch is missing but rather that the silk is hiding stitches.
Rather than politely ask to be excused from the table, like the lace pattern, the silk yarn slowly slides down her chair until she can escape under the table.
The lace pattern keeps her appearance neat, while the silk yarn pulls her own hair until there are knots.
The silk even tried to get the lace in trouble. There is two missing rows several repeats back. The lace has a increase/decrease row paired with a purl row. There are three pairs that make up a set, or half the repeat. The change being that one set is increase/decrease and the other set is decrease/increase. I have a spot where there is only two repeats in the set. Overall, hardly noticeable to the credit of the lace pattern.

Thus, I am about halfway. I am really guessing on the progress as there is no specific amount of rows. The only trick is to leave enough yarn for fringe.

A good start to the New Year

As was mentioned in my last post, I have 12 projects lined up for 2009 that are Strictly Stash.

The first one, carrying a 9 day deadline, was completed on day five.
Due to the fact that the project remains at work, and I only had my cell phone with me, the following picture is not particularly well shot. You will just have to clarify it with your imagination.

With no further ado, I present a 100% stash and 100% acrylic scarf designed to look like a letter "N":



Notice the use of Boa to make an impression of calligraphy.

This means I get a relatively early start on my next project.
I will be making the Isobel Scarf using Debbie Bliss Pure Silk (that I purchased in Minnesota).

Already it is prepped and ready for travel:



See? Everything I need is nicely in the bag.
Yarn, check.
Needles, check. (I grabbed the circulars, size US8)
Knit book with pattern written out, check.
Pen for tracking progress, check.

All in one little bag! Marvelous, simply marvelous.

It is going to work with me today so I can cast on and begin working on it.
Allow me to say, in rolling the two skeins for a center-pull ball, I actually found myself wishing for a ball winder.
Why?
Because this was the most difficult yarn to ball. Even more difficult than my shiny metallic Filatura Di Crosa Night, a beautiful yarn that tangles worse than anything.
The Silk qualified as more difficult due to:
A) Expectation.
It is silk! It should not constantly knot up. Seriously. I expected it to slide gently against itself and move easily. This was so not the case.
On the other hand, I expect the Night to tangle. A lot.
B) The Twist.
This is not a yarn that will just slide through your fingers. No, it has a strong twist, so as you go along parts of it start curling up as if you were spinning it yourself. This complicated matters a bit.
C) The Hour.
I did the winding after work.
Which means between the hours of 1am and 3am.
D) The Contradiction.
It is silk. Wonderful, soft and silky (good description, no?). It was a pleasure to touch, to caress and to run my fingers through.
And yet, like hair of the same feel, it had knots and tangles. Pleasure ruined in fits and starts. One moment of touching it and saying "YES! Oh so soft!" and then like the crack of ice, suddenly finding my fingers wrapped in strong blockades.
It was very frustrating.

That aside, the knitting hopefully will go much smoother and it will be a very luxurious scarf.

A wonderful knitting weekend.

Two short days make up the weekend, and mine have been pleasantly busy yet allowing for time with my yarn.

Saturday started with coffee and Ravelry. It is relaxing and nice to wake up in this way.

After catching up with the groups online I turned on a Cast On (episode 60, which I have been meaning to listen to, but life sometimes declines to give me an hour of free time) and went to work on my Autumn Blanket (aka, the ripple afghan). I got some progress done, though most of it was in the logistics area (more on that in the next post).
By then my roommate showed signs of being alive. I took the sock and put it on waste yarn then gave him the option of sitting down for a fitting or me removing the foot. For whatever reason, he believes his foot works best attached to the rest of him. During the fitting I learned a few things (mostly that I could have waited a few more rows before starting the ribbing) but it was fitting. He feels it is a bit snug overall. I told him when it was done it would be dampened and blocked on his own foot. He agreed, which shows his lack of understanding for the situation.
I then put sock back on needles and knit a couple of rows, mostly to assure the sock that it still had growing to do.
My friend Bill came over, since the outside temps were not scheduled to be nice at all, so we could pile into his large and warm car for our day's events. He was wearing a scarf that was one of the first I had ever knit. It is not a pretty scarf, but I am happy to see him using it. So happy, I decided to reward him with his pick from my stash for a new scarf.
At first he was reluctant. He actually likes the awkward purplish-pink fringe-less garter stitch scarf.
I told him he could, of course, still keep it. I was merely offering to make a better one.
He said it worked just fine at keeping his neck warm and had been doing so for several years now.
While touched that an item made with my own hands would inspire such dedication (even though it was given to him for lack of a recipient rather than as an intended gift), I was also a bit frustrated at this dedication when he knows I can make even better things now. I told him he did not have to give up wearing the scarf, but I felt it was time for him to have one that suited him better.
Once he was assured again that the old scarf was his to keep and wear as he liked, he agreed to pick out new yarn.
I directed his options to variegated fibers and told him he had to pick two. Eventually two were found, though it was actually a bit challenging. You would think, for all the yarn I have that there would be more than two skeins that go good together! Either way, I was glad to have that sorted out.

Then our group was off to a wine and beer tasting event at Grape and Gourmet. We sampled 19 different wines and 9 or so different beers. They also had food treats to try out and we did. After that we went to dinner at Big E's Deli in Virginia Beach. They have an amazing hamburger, with a pile of freshly sliced ham on top. It is so good!
When we got back on the road, it was time to go to our bi-monthly poker game.
While we were there, I got in several rows on the sock and Kellie, who deals the cards but does not play the game, worked on crocheting a blanket in between hands.

Today, laundry day! (As per usual).

Rather than work on the Laundry Soap Bag, which is what I am supposed to be doing during laundry time, I decided to cast on and start working on Bill's New Scarf. I think it is going to look very nice.

In the time it took for the wash cycle to end, I realized I needed to rip back and start over. The bottom edge was curling way too much. I transferred the clothes to the dryer and started over. I think I got a pretty good bit of progress in, despite some girl barking at me about how she knits, or well, crochets really but she hasn't done it in years and all and having a guy come over to talk. I have to say, his English is rather good for someone only in the country for a year. I did seem a bit unhappy about the turn of the conversation when he asked if I liked to dance and I said I liked to dance with girls. Things at the laundry mat have gotten interesting.

Clothes were returned home and I sped off to find some lunch, then I came home ready to tackle some of the messes that can be considered the tracks of my roommate. Dishes were washed, the kitchen floor swept and mopped, the living room, hall and my room were vacuumed, a pot of water was set boiling to bring the humidity of the apartment back up to reasonable levels, laundry was put away and a bit of straightening up in my room completed.

This means that the rest of the night can be dedicated to knitting on my Autumn Blanket and also on the scarf. Completed rows will be celebrated with small bits of chocolate, my feet will be propped up while my roommate makes dinner and the rest of the evening will be spent in relaxation.

Accomplishment and joy are my feelings regarding this weekend. I do believe I have had a balance two days, allowing for social events, new experiences, tasks completed and knitting through out.
I don't ask for much, really, but I am very thankful when things work out just right.