Tag Archive | makers making

A Year in the Life

Before yesterday, my last post was August 2023. That’s over a year and a half — somehow I didn’t realize it had been that long. It’s been a … full time. I was going to say rough, but maybe life just IS rough? I mean, not that every day is hard but every life has challenges and obstacles along with the joys and laughter and successes.

Things were kind of okay after we lost Grace. I was sad, of course, and missed her terribly. I still miss her. But I’d had time to grieve and mentally adjust to the loss even before it happened – that time to prepare can help more than I realized. About six months after we lost Grace, we adopted a 12 week old puppy and I named her Bella. She was supposed to be a black lab but ended up being mostly pit bull. She was our first tiny puppy, so adorable, but also so freaking smart. Smartest dog I’ve ever seen. She knew the names of all her toys and would go get them when I asked. Anyway. We had Bella for six months before she got injured in a freak accident and broke her spine, and we lost her. That took me out. It was so unexpected, so unfair. Grieving Bella has been harder than grieving Grace, in a lot of ways.

Because I am weak when I am grieving, we ended up back at the shelter about a month or so later. We’d learned that puppies bring joy, and we liked that joy. This time, we brought our youngest with us, and he fell in love with a little tan girl puppy. She wasn’t my first choice, but I did love to see him find his dog, the way I’ve found mine before. She’s mostly pit bull with a bit of dachshund, and she’s cute and snuggly and silly. I like her, but she’s not my dog. And that’s okay. For now, I’ve still got Jack and Duncan. Jack is 11 now and had a growth on his leg removed in January, but thankfully it was benign and he bounced back quickly. Duncan is 9 and just a big old potato with legs.

Of course there’s been more going on – a roadtrip to Philadelphia, a meet-up with the girl in Iowa – but dogs are always the highlight, right? For now, I’m looking forward to an April trip to Salem, MA for the Fiber Witch Festival with some of my little knitting coven. We’ve reserved a house and booked a walking tour and a trolley tour and of course we’re psyched for the vendor market but mostly I’m looking forward just sitting around and knitting with some of my favorite people!

Monday Musings

Apr24

I really don’t know what to do with this blog. I rarely write anymore – partly because I have limited mental energy to spend on it, and partly because it feels like it’s just sharing knitting photos, which I can do more easily on Instagram. What’s the point of doing it here too? Plus I’m nearing capacity on my photo storage again, and my options are either delete old photos (don’t love this idea) or pay an obscene amount of money to upgrade to a plan with a bunch of bells and whistles I don’t need (not gonna happen). I suppose I can keep going as I have been, just writing when the mood hits me, though I’ll still eventually hit that pesky image storage limit. If only WordPress offered a little add-on for that!

Still, with all that said, I have been knitting, of course. I finished a sock and cast on another. The new sock is in Saucon Sock yarn from Kraemer Yarns. I reviewed this yarn eons ago and that pair of socks has been one of my favorites, and it has been the most durable pair I’ve ever made – they still look almost as good as when I made them. (Note: I machine wash my socks, dry them on the lowest setting for about ten minutes, then lay flat to finish drying.) And because of their cotton content, they’re so good in the spring. After thinking about it for ages, I finally ordered three more skeins to make more spring shortie socks. I cast on a cowl in my new squishy Malabrigo Noventa. In a moment of weakness, I ordered Joji’s most recent purple bags (and I LOVE them!).

Recently I finished several books I really enjoyed: Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan (Picoult is the best at those mid-book twists), Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen (fact-based fiction about Helen Gurley Brown taking over Cosmo magazine), and The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz (another one with a mind-blowing twist). We’re caught up on the US version of Ghosts, so now we’re watching the UK version and really enjoying it. They seemed really similar at first, but now that we’re in the second season, I’m seeing more variation.

And I’m happy to report that Grace appears to be holding steady. I haven’t noticed any decline in the last couple of weeks, although we have had a few overnight accidents thanks to prednisone’s unfortunate side effects. There might be not-good things happening internally that will cause issues in the near future, but so far she’s just living her best life and stealing as much food as she can.

Happy Monday, friends.

There is knitting happening

Jul31

I have gotten a lot of sock knitting done in the last couple of days. Thanks to a careless, speeding, idiot driver, we are currently a one-car couple. Everyone but the car is fine, thank goodness, but since the idiot did not have a current insurance policy, it’s all being covered by our policy, so we’re trying to save a little bit of money by carpooling for now rather than renting a car. Especially since we’ll have to rent a vehicle soon to take the girl’s belongings to college. (My car Edward just won’t hold as many boxes as the smushed car would have, alas.) Anyway, like I said, I am grateful that we are all unhurt and we have good insurance that will help us get it all sorted out. Eventually. Until then, I am knitting in the car while the husband drives me to and from work!

I’m loving these Apothefaery socks and who knows, by the end of the week, I might have a completed sock!

I also have a completed shawl as of last night. I bound off my Imagine When shawl and used up almost all the skein, hooray. Unless something else unexpected comes up, (and considering how the rest of this summer has gone, it might) I should have it blocked by the end of the weekend and have pretty photos to share soon! Until then, here are cute dogs.

Duncan & Grace love each other!

I hope your week is going better than mine, and that you are also getting lots of knitting done!

Feeding the stash

Jul9

Do you like yarn? I like yarn. I like my current stash, I like yarn in stores, and I especially like new yarn that arrives in the mail after I’ve had a bad day. Yesterday I had TWO packages waiting for me when I got home. The first had these goodies from Izzy Knits:

Isn’t that logo the cutest?? For some crazy reason, I agreed to test knit a pattern for a dog sweater. Yes, a sweater for one of my dogs. A sweater he will very likely not want to wear longer than two minutes, and that I’ll have to protect from the other dog chewing on it. Still, he will be very handsome during those two minutes.

The second package was yarn from an Instagram/Etsy destash. There are no tags so I have no idea who made what, and I don’t care a bit. Because OMG look at my pretties:

They’re all fingering weight except that one bright pink variegated skein, which I think is worsted and will become an awesome cowl. The others will feed the stash for now. That neon yellow is the softest; I think it must have some cashmere in it. No idea what to do with it, since I can’t/don’t wear that color, but maybe mixed in with something else, it’ll work out.

Today we’re finally getting someone to look at our broken AC again, after a week of a warm, humid upstairs. Here’s hoping I go home to a cool(er) house! At least I know I’ll go home to dogs, and that’s pretty good.

Happy Tuesday, friends! Hope it’s a good one!

1307 Days

Apr7

When I marked my Playful Stripes blanket as finished last night, Ravelry told me it had been 1307 days since I started it. Definitely my longest WIP ever, and I’m SO happy it’s finally done! The extra blue yarn arrived Friday but I didn’t get around to knitting with it until last night, but I got it all knit up that night. Today was my weave-in-ends day, which took about an hour and a half, and to heck with blocking, I’m calling it done!

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What a fun blanket I have for fall now, or even chilly spring evenings, maybe out on the deck! The yarn is Blue Sky Yarns Organic Cotton Worsted and I used eight colors, probably around 1800 yards or so. I’d have to measure my leftovers to be sure and I don’t care to to do that. It’s super soft but it is fuzzing up and pilling a little, so I’ll probably have to shave it periodically. I’m just so relieved to have this project finished.

Now I can focus on the test knit sock until my review yarn shows up. I’m still feeling like more of a monogamous knitter at the moment, no real urge to cast on something new. Which is even more surprising given that I went to a new LYS yesterday! It’s only been open about two weeks so they’re still building their inventory, which may be why the yarn wasn’t really calling to me. It’s a lovely store, full of squishy couches and beautiful furniture like sideboards and cabinets, so I’m confident it will grow up to be a favorite LYS for that area. It’s a little farther away for me so I won’t get there too often. Yesterday I left with only one skein.

Yep, it’s another skein of Manos del Uruguay Alegria in Locura Fluo! I was tempted to buy all three they had but restrained myself. I have no idea what this will be but it’s easily one of my favorite yarns so I’m delighted to have more. Plus I got a cute little pin to add to my collection!

Hope you all had a good weekend too, whether it was productive or lazy!

It can be done

Apr5

Two pairs of socks CAN be made from one skein of sock yarn! Sure, it depends on the skein and yardage and gauge and all that jazz, so let me amend to: I can make two pairs of socks from one skein of Show Me Yarn Bootheel sock yarn, and they’re both for me! I finished my Baby Girl Power Socks last night with a tiny bit of yarn left over.

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I kind of forgot that I did a longer gray toe on the first sock, trying to conserve yarn, so the second sock has the normal amount of gray, starting with the decreases. I would have had enough rainbow yarn on the first sock but oh well, these are for me and I don’t mind a bit that they don’t match exactly.

The yarns for the blanket and the review haven’t arrived yet, so I’m at three WIPs and it feels comfortable. I’m not at work today, taking the mother to an appointment instead, so I’ll have time to make some progress on my test knit socks. Until then, I have time to cuddle with my pups.

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Grace is happy.

Feeling scatter-brained

Apr4

There is a lack of focus in my head today. The last few days, actually. Even though I have very few WIPs on my needles, I feel like it’s all getting away from me. My knitting group at work is crocheting a blanket for the Welcome Blanket Project so I made some squares for that. I have a sock almost done, I just started test-knitting a new sock, and I have some new review yarn coming my way, along with the yarn to finish my blanket. I type that out and it’s like, Well, that’s not that much, Bonny. What’s your problem?? Who even knows. But here’s the yarn I’m using for my test knit:

Isn’t it so bright and awesome?? The socks are for Under the Olive Tree Knits again and there’s another lovely lace pattern. I finished the first pattern repeat last night.

And oh yeah, I have some friends having babies, so I wanted to make a few washcloths to add to baby gifts. A few means six, apparently, three for each baby.

But the washcloths are done, and the second Baby Girl Power sock is almost done, and I finished my squares for the Welcome Blanket, so that means I can focus on the test and review projects. Except I’m going to a new LYS this weekend and will probably fall in love with some other yarn that I’ll want to knit up right away!

Here’s Duncan. He really wanted to learn how to crochet but it didn’t work out.

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Coming out of hibernation

Apr2

Okay, so we met with the architect last night, and walked through the project with him and the contractor, and I’m not currently terrified. I’m a little bit excited even, though it is tempered by the worry of cost. We don’t have a bid yet; that will come after the architect takes all his measurements and draws up the plan. But I like both of them, and more importantly, I trust them to do a good and fair job. So, we’ll figure out the money part and the interrupted routines and all of that as it comes along, but right now, I’m feeling cautiously optimistic.

As I’ve worried about this the last couple of weeks, my knitting has taken a strange turn toward Finish-itis. I currently have only three projects on my needles. Even though I have lots of ideas percolating, I’m eager to finish some more WIPs first. In that spirit, I pulled out my oldest WIP over the weekend, my Playful Stripes blanket. This is where I was the last time I shared progress:

I cast on for this baby in September of 2015, and it’s gone in and out of hibernation a couple of times. This is the last time, I swear! I worked on it all of Sunday and thought I was almost two-thirds gone, which is good since I was low on the main color. I knit and knit and knit and realized I wasn’t really two-thirds through and I was going to run out of yarn. ARGH. That’s fine, it’s still available, I could get more. So I went as far as I could before setting it aside.

I was in the middle of the yellow stripe when I started this weekend. Pretty good, no? This is a beast of a blanket, so huge! (Jack included for scale.) I’m not sure why I’m so low on yarn since I had more than the recommended yardage for the larger size, but I also didn’t check gauge because hello, it’s a blanket? Big blankets are fine by me! I’ve ordered more of the blue and as soon as it arrives, this blanket will be my top priority.

Anyone else dealing with Finish-itis lately?

Am I crazy?

Mar30

Yeah, I think I might be a little crazy. After thinking about fade sweaters recently, I was idly going through my stash to think of other yarns that might make good sweaters. And it hit me that I have a large quantity of yarns that all go together beautifully:

Now, maybe you’re thinking, Hm, I think I’ve seen that combination of yarn before! You have! This is the yarn for my Mermaid Shawl, which has been on my needles since September 19.

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And that’s pretty much where I still am. I’m on row 18 of the first color. That’s slow progress for me. I worked on it last weekend and only managed about three rows. I’m not sure I like enormous shawls that start at the outer edge. Each of these rows takes an eternity, and clearly I’m not loving this project or else I’d be itching to work on it.

What if…I frogged it?

Eek! Scary! This mermaid shawl idea has been in my head for ages, but…what if it was a Mermaid Cardigan instead? I think I’d wear it more often, and it would be the same gorgeous fade of colors. I’m thinking something like Gelato, though mine would have to be a little shorter, but I suppose I could find any cardigan pattern I like and make it a fade.

Tell me: Should I frog? And if so, what’s your favorite fingering-weight cardigan pattern?

Yak Sock Yarn: Bijou Basin Ranch Review

Mar29

The wonderful people at Bijou Basin Ranch gave me another opportunity to review some of their yarn, this time the Tibetan Dream fingering sock yarn. Like the yarn I reviewed previously, this is a yak blend. (I mean, they’re a yak ranch. That’s kind of their specialty.) They have a wide variety of solids and stripes, but perhaps not surprisingly, I chose Purple Dragon, a gorgeous limited edition color dyed exclusively for Bijou Basin Ranch by MJ Yarns. And guys, okay, BBR is one of the best at first impressions! Look at this assortment:

Tibetan Dream is 440 yards, 85% pure yak with 15% nylon. Their website states that yak fiber is warmer than wool and softer than cashmere. I can’t say for sure that it’s warmer than wool, but it is warm, and best of all, yak fiber is hypoallergenic, so it doesn’t make me itch the way some wools do. And yes, it is indeed very soft! I chose a simple pattern for my socks with a ribbed leg and stockinette foot. The colors really are so pretty.

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It’s a very smooth yarn, a texture reminiscent of a premium pima cotton. I noticed it the last time I used their yarn and wasn’t sure which fiber to attribute it to, but it must be the yak. I really like the feel, but it is a little splitty, as cotton is, and it doesn’t feel quite as elastic as wool. However, I have worn and washed and worn the socks, and they’re wearing nicely. These photos are after a wear and a wash, actually. And they are indeed comfy to wear, as soft and smooth as they are!

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The yarn retails starting at $39.95 and goes up to $49.95, so it is more of a splurge yarn, for me at least. As much as I love my socks, I might be more inclined to use this yarn for shawls and wraps, especially gifts for special people. The yak does block out beautifully, making it an ideal choice for lace patterns.

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Thank you to Stitchcraft Marketing and Bijou Basin Ranch, who generously sent me one skein of Tibetan Dream (retail value $49.95) for free. I received no other compensation for this review. All opinions and photos are my own.