Yopping - Week Thirteen

This week has been all about catching up on my sock yarn blanket, and getting going again on my mosaic socks.

I have 757/780 squares done on my blanket which means I am caught up to my one a day (and it also means I knit 19 squares this week). I am thinking now that to make the blanket symmetrical I will need 800 squares instead of 780 so the beginning and end of the blanket have rows of twenty squares. I am running low on leftover fingering sock yarn. My sister is sending me some, and as soon as I finish these mosaic socks I will have some more leftovers. I am having to get very creative about combining small bits to make squares. Cases in point:

blending two different yarns in these two squares (blue/green one and orange one)



many many little bits to make this lovely striped square:





I did finish one of the mosaic socks. I love it, and have decided to make a fraternal sock with red as the main colour and gray as the contrasting colour, and I will also use two of the different patterns that were available to choose from. That way it won't seem like I am knitting the identical sock which means no second sock syndrome.
Front:


Side:


Sole:

Good thing I am flexible - taking this photo involved a yoga pose!

I also started Yoda, a crochet project, because I knew bringing the mosaic sock to knit night wouldn't end well. So here is his head and body - ears and feet to follow and of course his little jedi jacket.



I have joined Spinzilla which is a spinning challenge that runs the 3rd to 9th of October. The goal is to spin as much yardage during the week to help your team win. My local team was full so I joined the Hawaii team. Because. Hawaii!! (What Canadian doesn't dream of going to the Big Island.)

That's it for my week. Now I have to go check on everyone else's progress.

Happy yopping everyone!

HodgePodge - First day of Autumn

1. Thursday (September 22) is the first official day of autumn in this part of the world...how will you welcome the season? I know some of you have been celebrating way too early, but it's official now so permission granted. House Beautiful recently listed ten ways to make your home smell like fall (you can read the list here) What's a scent you love this time of year and how will you add it to your home?

I bring in all my succulents from outside and take great joy in their summer progress. I also have chrysanthmums growing outside which always remind me of fall and my dear aunt and grandmother's garden walkway



2. Apple pie or pumpkin pie? Apple cake or pumpkin bread? Warm apple cider or a pumpkin spice latte?

Definitely pumpkin pie. Homemade with a gluten free crust.

3. Do you suffer from what is sometimes referred to as an afternoon slump? What helps ward it off before it hits and/or tell us what helps you shake it off once it's here?

Yes, I can get the afternoon slump but a cup of hot earl grey tea and a chocolate chip cookie are all I need to recover.

4. Ladies-how have your friendships with women inspired you or made you a better person? For the men here today- how have your friendships with men inspired you or made you a better person?

My female friendships are what sustain me. I have fantastic women friends. Some go back to my childhood, some to my first teaching job, some are new since I retired. I love them all. Fiercely.

5. Are you a people pleaser? If you said yes, do you think that's a good or bad thing? If you said no, do you wish you were more of a people pleaser?

I used to be to my detriment. Now I take better care of myself and my time, but I do still like the feeling of helping others. I am just more judicious about when and why.

6. The seasons are a-changin'...share a favorite song relating in some way to change (not necessarily seasonal change, it could be change of any kind).

Turn Turn Turn (To everything there is a season) by the Byrds

7. What do you wish would never change?

That the people I love would never get sick or die.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I've always loved the Fall. The colours. The cool sunny air. The light. The lead in to my birthday and Thanksgiving and Halloween. Armistice Day and yes, Christmas. There are so many reasons I love this time of year. New beginnings. New students. Making mustard pickles. Picking apples. Yes, I've always loved the Fall.


Check out other HodgePodge entres here.

A real Yop update- Week 12

Well, first of all my computer is in the shop, so I am using my very old netbook, so this could be interesting.

I was very jet-lagged this week, but despite that I finished my C2C experiment which is just large enough to be a doll blanket (12" x 12") for some little one in my life. And I used up some stash, so that is a bonus.




I picked up my Diamondback socks after a two month hiatus. I had one finished, and one just less than a quarter finished on July 3, but then I was working like crazy only on my sock yarn blanket trying to get ahead of my one square a day quota before I left on holidays.

So the blanket has 738/780 squares done. I need to knit two a day until the end of September to get caught up - I am 12 squares behind at the moment.




It took me about an hour to remember how the short rows went on the Diamondback pattern, but after that hour (and having to tink back twice) I was off to the races. I knit ALL day and night Thursday and got to the start of the toe with all the short rows done! Friday I did the toe and ta-da - ta-done.




I then picked up my mosaic socks - Six tastes, which only had the cuff done, and ten rows of the mosaic. Again it took me a while to figure out where I was, but since Friday night I did about 44 more rows. This pattern is a slow go (four charts - two of which are 16 rows, and two are 18 rows so I have to be careful I am on the right row of each section. I have a system now, but it is pen and paper all the way.





I will include a picture of the happy wedded couple from Croatia and, of course, a close up of the wedding shawl I knit her in the spring. It is called Mamie and is an Autumn Moon design.




So that's it for me. I think my sleep schedule is turned around now, but I am hungry at the weirdest times so clearly my stomach is still over the Atlantic somewhere.

My regular pool is closed for maintenance so I have been going over town this week to swim in the fantastic out-door pool that is 137.5 meters in length. That means a mile is only 12 laps. Today, Sunday, is the last day it is open for the season. As soon as I finish this post I am heading out to swim my mile.

Have a great week everyone. And if you want to check out other yoppers (and you are a Ravelry member) then go here.

Dying

Ok, the title isn't as morbid as it sounds. But I have been thinking alot about a certain expression. Let me explain.

I just have returned from travelling in New York, Europe and London. I was fretful about going away in the current climate, or seemingly current climate, of terrorism. The thought of being in airports, on airplanes, and in crowded cities caused me some anxiety.

One day while in London I decided to tame my anxiety by doing the only thing that works for me - going for a swim.

I headed for the Olympic Park, because hey, how often do you get to swim in an Olympic venue pool?

As I was swimming my laps I started to think that if I was a terrorist I could come to a pool, like this one, and throw some plugged in device into the pool and all of us in the pool would die, literally, of shock.

Don't blame me. I can't control my thoughts when I swim.

So then, my next thought was that my obituary could read something like: She died doing something she loved.

My next thought was - that's stupid.

Why does our culture think that dying while doing something you love is a good thing? It means you don't get to finish doing the thing you love.

Wouldn't it make more sense to die just before having to do something you hated? Like cleaning the toilet, or going for a root canal. Then, at least, dying would have an upside, you know?

Anyhow, this is how my mind goes.

And then again yesterday as I was swimming laps, I thought about it again. I am doing something I love.

I hope I don't die until it's over.

I didn't.

It was a good swim.

I am going again tomorrow, these rain won't stop me, I am going to be wet anyways.

So, what do you think? Is there a better time to die than doing what you love?

Or is that just me.

Being morbid.

Again.

Not my fault.

Yopping Update - September 11

I'm back!

I flew in from London Sunday (and boy are my arms tired ;) ), and I did this on the flight. One sock - 8 1/2 hours while watching three in-flight movies (and eating the occasional snack).





So that was the extent of my knitting while I travelled from New York to Croatia to London and then home. Two pairs of socks from my to do list! Here is the 2nd completed pair.



I also visted LOOP knitting shop in Islington while in London and bought two skeins of yarn and a book of twelve patterns - 10 to celebrate 10th anniversary of Loop. This means I have technically failed at cold sheeping for the year, but hey, it was totally worth it! I plan to make a shawl out of these lovely BFL (Bluefaced Leichester) singles, by The Uncommon Thread yarn company, using one of the patterns in the book - either WREATH or AUTUMN LEAF. This yarn was from English sheep, spun and dyed in England. Perfect souvenir from my trip to London, no?



So that's it for me - once this jetlag is done (crappy headache for two days) I will be back to knitting.

I will also spend the week catching up on all the other yoppers. I have a lot of catching up to do!

Sept 4 Yop update and wedding too

Busy week:

Saw the Picasso/Goya exhibition in Split and spent the rest of the day visiting the cathedral, bell tower, crypt, baptistery and  artifact treasury.

Today is the Croatian wedding party for my dd and her husband. 

Yes there was swimming this week too.

And I finished one pair of hobbit sox.

And started another.

So I am yopping while I travel. 

Next Tuesday....London!

Looking forward to catching up with other yoppers when I get home in a week.