Herald Shawl and Monday

It's Monday! I'm so tired. My head hurts. But today is The Husbando's first day at his new job, woo!! Send him prayers and good vibes for a good first week!!

I worked on the Mistake Rib Scarf for my sister for Christmas this morning, before making her lunch and before chasing one of our chickens as they got loose. Never a dull day on the homestead!

The Bulky Wool of the Andes is a dream to knit with, it's so soft and lovely. It'll make a great scarf for my sister. 

Yesterday I also started the Herald Shawl, which is my first Not-A-Rectangle shawl ever. I'm using a Caron Cake in Blueberry Cheesecake. 

This pattern is so easy and so lovely and I am loving the yarn. It's soft, a dream to work with, and doesn't split. And this shawl is representing a lot of emotions for me. I'm working through a lot of mixed feelings while knitting it.

It's like, I'm finally fully an adult. We're getting a bank account with our names. We're married. We're getting life insurance. We think about those things. We do bills. 

We're happy spending our nights cuddled in bed talking and watching food network and cheesey TV. 

This is so different then the life I was living a year or two ago. So different than when The Husbando worked at a bar. Then when we lived in a city. 

Everything is different. And I love it. But this is a new life, a new chapter, and I barely recognize this new life. 

It's just been hitting me lately with my birthday coming up, with the one year of living here mark coming up.

And I started this week's Dishcloth Weekly Knit a Long Mystery Cloth.

Podcasts and Lazy Days

Today is a lazy day, with not as many chores as usual, and my mom has a half day at work which is nice. So I decided to start off the day by looking into some knitting podcasts and working on this week's dishcloth. The only thing I dislike about this morning is that The Husbando had another work meeting after closing last night, so he only got 3 hours of sleep and he closes again tonight. Poor guy.

I've been listening too Knitmore Girls Podcast and really enjoying it. They're quite long podcasts, but I like them even if I have to pause them every now and then to get up and do something. They make me laugh!

And I finished Leaning to the Left Dishcloth for my dad for Christmas! It turned out really well I think. It was a fun knit, I really liked working with Dishie. The yarn was so smooth and soft. My only problem with it was that it had two knots in it, but I don't know if that's common with the yarn or if it's just this one roll.

I didn't get to work much on the Honey Cowl today, and I wanted to work on Nell's Sea Silk Scarf but I got distracted finishing my dishcloth and a late start today. But there is always tomorrow, and now there's one WIP done so all in all that's good too.

Today did have its ups and downs, but overall it was a good day.

Ps sorry for the terrible night time picture I intended to post this earlier but so is life.

Fall is Coming!

Last night I got the garter borders done on the Honey Cowl and the Left Leaning Dishcloth.

So today I got to start the crux of their pattern! And my sister, the Husbando, and I sat on the porch while I knit the dishcloth. There were falling leaves and acorns and a nice breeze. It is so close to fall. It's wonderful. I can't wait for fall to be here.

And I got 14 rows done on the dishcloth today! It's coming along very nicely, the Dishie is a DREAM to knit with, I love knitting with is so much. It's soft and it is so easy to manipulate. I may never go back to anything else.

And I made quite a bit of progress on my honey cowl today. I even got to start on the second color, which is super fun to knit with. It's such a nice and easy knit I might even knit it while watching TV tonight. 

And today was a good day. My sister and I played with her makeup and had a silly time. It's just been a relaxed good nearly fall day overall.

I made this blanket square up. It's nice and squishy.

Migraines and Hot Days

It's at least four billion degrees here in Kentucky.

On top of that I've had a headache for a week on and off that's morphed into a two day migraine. It's making me cranky. I was really hoping my prevention migraine medication would stop me from getting migraines like this. I feel like my head is going to explode. I don't want to check ravelry, comment back to anything, play nice with anyone, or anything. I want my HEAD to stop HURTING.

I'm cranky.

But I did finish the dishcloth for The Husbando, he wanted it to be a bit shorter than the pattern called for. He wanted it as long as his hand but not much longer than I already knit. So that worked out for me. I chose this yarn because each fall we watch scary movies, the x files and other creepy crawlies and alien like things. It seemed a perfect fall fit for him. I think the yarn was a bit too busy for this pattern though.

The pattern is Campfire by Knit Picks and I knit it as part of the dishcloth weekly knit along group on ravelry.

I also worked a bit on my Seaside Knitters Nell's Sea Silk Scarf. I had to frog it twice last night. But now I'm six rows in and I think you can see the wave pattern showing up. This one's a tricky lace pattern.

And today's mood blanket square is moody because headache and hot weather.

The Finished Teddy Bear Sweater and Sold Dishcloths.

Today has been a day for knitting. Quite a day indeed. Last night I finished both sleeves of the Furrowed Teddy Bear Sweater.

See, I have been knitting this for The Husbando's childhood bear. The bear's name is Rose. She has been with him his whole life. She has gone on many camping tripa, comforted him when he was sad, and still sleeps in our bed. She is well loved over these last two decades. Because of this, she is missing some fur on her stomach and some stuffing in her arm joints as you can see in the picture below. 

I decided to make her a sweater to protect her a bit from further damage. I chose the furrowed rib as it was the most like the texture of her fur, and a k1p1 ribbing on the arms to give it more structure and hold them up a bit more. 

It was knit flat, in pieces, bottom up. Using a fingering weight alpaca yarn I hand dyed. I used size 9 US needles the front and back are cast on 25 and knit in (k2, p1) repeat to last st k1 for row one, then for row two you p1, (k2, p1) across and repeat these two rows for 5 inches. On the next 2 rows Bind of 3 stitches at the beginning leaving you with 18 stitches(place stitch markers at bo points). Work a K1P1 ribbing for the collar until you reach 7 inches or desired collar length.

For the sleeves cast on 19 and work in K1P1 ribbing ending with a k1. Knit until they are 5inches. Bind of.

Seem the front and back together up to your first stitch marker for the arm holes. Then take your sleeves and seem them in along the arm holes. Flip work inside out to hide any seems and tada! Furrowed teddy bear sweater.

I can't believe I finished it today! 

It turned out really well for my first sweater. And I only panicked a little. I know the ribbing on one sleeve goes in a different direction then the other because of my seeming, but I've never been very good at seeming. I think it offers good support for her arms and will give her bare spots some protection. Which hopefully gives her a longer life, bringing The Husbando more comfort for a longer period of time.

The Husbando loved it. He thought she looked lovely in it and so soft and it was so sweet.

Anndddd, on his way home from his work meeting he dropped off the dishcloths I made for the woman at the artists guild! He said she loved them, and I got paid for my knitting! Five dollars. He brought me home a celebration milkshake. 

And I made more progress on the dishcloth knit along dishcloth. If I do four more repetitions of each 4 rows everyday until Sunday, including the cast off row, I should be done that evening.

And because I got a WIP done, I started another. That way I still have 3 WIPS too go between.  I started my Nell's Sea-Silk Scarf based on The Seaside Knitters Mystery Novels by Sally Goldenbaum. The pattern was in the back of the first book and calls for 1 skein of a 70% silk 30% sea cell yarn but it's expensive and I don't feel confident using it so instead I'm using my special yarn from The Husbando called Halloween Town's Finest Trick or Treaters from MsMonstersCreations. I hope to have this done by my birthday so I can wear it out to a yarn shop an hour away from here!

So today's blanket square is a happy stable neutral one! Even if I do have a terrible migraine! 

Also check out my sweater on Ravelry!

I Think I Fell In Love Again .....

...or maybe just took to much cough medicine. I've been listening to Fall Out Boy today, that clever lyric is from American Beauty/American Pyscho.

I spent my morning researching cotton yarns as my mom has requested that I make her some dishcloths for the kitchen in maroon or black. I think I've decided on Knit picks Dishie or Lily Sugar n Cream as most forums seem to agree those are the best. What do you readers think? What holds up the best over time for you? What's the best machine washable cotton yarn you've used?

I've also been playing yarn chicken this morning with the sleeve of the teddy bear sweater. Sort of? I mean, I'm pretty certain there is more than enough here for an inch more of knitting, but I'm so bad at judging these kinds of things there may not be. I really don't know! I should be casting off this sleeve by this evening, though. That will leave me with just one sleeve left and the seeming it all together to go. 

Don't know why the pictures sideways, but I won't bind off until this evening when I see how the sleeve fits on the bear. 

I've been doing laundry and knitting the campfire dishcloth for the Dishcloth Weekly Knit A Long. Did some knitting on the porch with mom. I'm not seeing the pattern and km worried that I picked a yarn that is too "busy" for it to show up, but I'm only two repeats of the sixteen needed in so I guess we will see.

I've had a headache all day, and my mood is just kind of bleh. I'm not sure why. I think maybe it's just the seasons changing. I love fall but season changes are hard on my mood. It feels like everything is changing and it makes me kind of nostalgic and slow feeling. It's kind of hard to describe, I just feel like I'm stuck in syrup. Like I crashed into a maple syrup bottle and everything is slow and sticky and too sweet. I don't know.

Anyway, I made the the broken rib stitch for my blanket square today.

And I'm cheered up quite a bit because my sister is talking to me about what she wants me to knit her and The Husbando brought me home frozen custard.

Mom's Day Off

I got to sleep in today, until 10am actually, so I woke up feeling extremely well rested.

On top of that I had had a horrible night where I argued with someone I am related to by marriage and felt shitty overall at the end of the day.

But today I woke up rested, and Tory got her package! She loved it! Which makes me SO HAPPY!

And it's my mom's day off, which means she makes lunch for the family, which I look forward too. It's one of those little things that brightens my day. She makes grilled cheese and cuts the crust off mine, and I bought asparagus for us to share since we are the only two in the family who like it. It's been a nice relaxed day.

And today marks a new Dishcloth Weekly Knit A Long and it's FALL THEMED! I LOVE FALL! And I've been promising The Husbando a washcloth since I joined this group, so this one is perfect for him!

Before I could start it though, I went out to help with barn chores and play with the animals on this beautiful day.

Isn't Jay Jay the cutest? 

Momma and Princess! 

Then I could start the Dishcloth once in! I did 3 rows of the garter stitch border and a few more rounds on the hat.

There is method to my madness for using that yarn for the Campfire dishcloth, I swear! 

Today I did a homey comfortable blanket square in an attempted mini version of the dishcloth, you can't see the pattern much, it doesn't mini well apparently. And I'm on my second row of the blanket.

and the husbando helped me darn in my edges 

It's been a good day, a relaxed, homey day. A much needed day after a wave of blue yesterday. I am happy.

Proverbs 15

I woke up cranky. The fan is broken so I'm not sleeping well, the dog got garbage out last night, the ash tray got knocked over in the wind outside last night as well and I was greeted with all these things before a "Good Morning" first thing. So I woke up REALLY REALLY REALLY CRANKY.

Livid is probably a better word. I was ready to burn some damn bridges. I think I even slammed a door at one point.

So when I opened my bible to do Sunday morning bible study, instead of using my bible promise cards as a compass point for where to start reading, I flipped to the back and found references of the word "anger" and flipped to Proverbs 15.

And it really took the umpf out of my anger. If I respond to harsh things angrily then I will just be adding to the fire, I need to try to step back, take a deep breath and control my tongue. 

I'm still cranky, but I'm trying to control the things I say and how I say them, as to not stir the pot any further.

So then I took a deeeeeeeep breath and worked on The Rank and File dishcloth for this week's dishcloth KAL on Ravelry. I worked until it was done. Because knitting makes me less cranky.

Knit with US size 8 bamboo needles and Red Heart Panther Pink yarn 

Finished and gifted to my sister.

It was a nice pattern, I like the texture and I learned a lot from it. Like I shouldn't use bamboo needles when a pattern calls for so many slips. My aluminum ones would have made it an easier and quicker knit. I messed up decreasing and ended up with 36 instead of 35 stitches, but k2tog on the next row seemed to fix this issue and my seed stitch border doesn't seem to suffer from it. It's not perfect, but I'm proud of it and my sister likes it so I'm happy. 

It feels good to finish a WIP! 

But overall, I'm still tired and I miss my fan. I'm grumpy and moody. But I have been minding my tongue. My mood square today is grumpy though. I tried to do Knot a twisted tie pattern for my square today and it doesn't show up, I think because it's too small, I'll try it again sometime because the pattern is so lovely and made by a friend of mine.

That's all for now, folks. I need a nap. And a drink, if only I drank LOL. 

Fashionably late Thursday Work-in-Progress Wednesdays (WIPW)

Last night I started my Dishcloth Weekly Knit Along Rank and File Cloth while The Husbando and I were reading in bed before sleep. I managed to get a good start on it!

The first five seed stitch rows are done! 

I'm making this one for my sister who requested one after my last dishclotb, I think she will really like the pink.

I also just joined a new Rav group called The Blog Hub and one of the things they do is a WIPW or Work In Progress Wednesdays where you share what your working on at the moment. I figured this would be a fun thing to do on my blog so expect it every Wednesday now! Here are my WIPs:

This is going to be a teddy bear sweater, I have the front done and am working on the back now. The yarn is alpaca from the local farmers market and hand dyed by me, myself, and I. 

And of course the mood blanket. Which I know has gauge and sizing issues and looks wonky. Whatever. It's my first blanket. Learning curve, right? Sentimental value blah blah blah. 

This is my double moss stitch gryffindor scarf I am making as a birthday present for The Husbando. It was supposed to be a valentine's day present but.... 

The rank and file dishcloth, looks better in the daylight. 

Pile o WIPs and my cat giving me a very judgemental look. 

There you have it! All my current WIPs. Maybe I will even have some of them done soon. Maybe.