Knitting In The North

Yarn Along

 

 

 

As is usually the case, when one area of life really takes off, another has to slow down.  My Christmas knitting has been moving along really well, but my reading - not so much.  I finished Gwenyth's sweater (it's blocking right now, and then needs buttons), and I finished the first of Brian's socks, and just turned the heel on the second.  Wow - I'm impressing myself!  You can see Brian's socks above (even better, I'll have enough leftover for a second, smaller pair - matching ones for Liam, perhaps?), along with the wool Liam & I wound up this morning to knit felted clogs. 

 

Since my school semester is winding down, I am allowing myself a bit of seasonal reading fun.  I like to read "Christmas" fiction during December, and since I'm feeling so festive, figured I may as well start that, too.  First up is Matchless, by Gregory Maguire.  The cover says it's "an illumination of Hans Christian Andersen's classic 'The Little Match Girl'", and was apparently read on NPR a few years ago.  I just picked it up today, so I can't tell you too much, although I'm very much looking forward to curling up with it in the evenings to come.  Do you like to read holiday themed stories?  What are some of your favourites?

 

 

14

 

 

 

I know it's trite to say that time flies, but I literally have trouble believing that my sweet baby Katie just turned fourteen.  Fourteen!!  It seems so big, so grown up, so mature, so scary.  And I suppose she is all of those things, actually. 

 

The first one to volunteer to help me shovel the snow, the one who is my right hand in our house, with the kids, with life.... is growing up.  It's hard to believe in a few more short years she will be heading off to college, taking on the world as an adult.  It makes me a tad teary to think about it, but is also makes my heart swell with pride.  I'm happy to say that now, at fourteen, come what may, I genuinely like my teenager - which I know is a huge blessing in itself, one not every parent has at this particular moment. 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Katie.

 

Yarn Along

~ Joining in with Ginny at Small Things, who loves to read & loves to knit~

 

 

I am trying to be very disciplined and only work on Christmas presents until they're done - I don't want to be frantically clutching my needles on Christmas Eve, desperately finishing one last thing...

 After finishing the first sleeve of this sweater, I decided I was unhappy with the short rows I had worked, and not thrilled with the fullness of the sleeve itself.  I ripped it all back, and am reworking, with one less set of short rows in each repeat.  I also read up on the technique over at TECHknitting, and am much happier about it this time around.  Hopefully it will continue to move along quickly... there are more gifts to make!

 

The book I'm reading is The Winter of our Disconnect - the story of a mom & her three kids, who completely unplugged for 6 months.  I'm just getting into it, but am fascinated by the idea, and the process the family is going through as they adjust to no power.  Can you imagine - no power at all?  I can't even get the family to agree to no cable TV!

 

FO: Simple Baby Hat

 

 

 

Since I seem to be on a roll with the hats, I figured I'd knit one for my newest little nephew.  Stuart's younger sister, Judith, has just had her first baby, a sweet little boy (that is, I'm assuming he's sweet, he's so fresh we haven't even seen pictures yet, and I'm not sure of the absolutely final name... but he's got the same blood as Stuart, who has made some fabulous looking babies, so I'm going with it).

 

Judith is allergic to wool, so I went looking for other options, and came up with this lone ball of Patons Silk Bamboo.  The hat is on it's way east now, and I have high hopes of some pictures, once it arrives.

 

Particulars:

Yarn - Patons Silk Bamboo, 1 ball, Almond

Pattern - Simple Baby Hat, by Alison Williams, courtesy of Blue Sky Alpacas

Needles - 3.75mm

Notes - Not much to say about this one - a fast, simple knit, producing a super soft little hat.  Ahhhh... babies....

 

Halloween

 

 

 

 

As much as I love taking pictures, every now and then I get so caught up in the moment that I completely forget to pick up the camera.  Halloween night was one of those times; I was so busy adjusting wigs, setting out pumpkins, finding props & chasing Liam that capturing it all for posterity went right out the window.  Fortunately, a friend saved the day by grabbing a shot of the brood while begging for candy.

 

 

 

 

We have here, then, a halo-less angel, a fearsome pirate, a pink-haired Little Mermaid, and a brave astronaut.  Even the astronaut lasted the better part of an hour going from house to house, and then we went home to enjoy hot chocolate, while the big ones went back out for more (and more, and more...).  There are carefully labeled bags of candy tucked into the pantry, and Halloween is over for another year.  I wonder who will venture out with me next autumn?