Yop Update # 5 ....and one more thing

Well, thanks to the two sailing wait to get home on Monday I did finish the first Alhambra sock and cast on the second before docking on my side of the water.



It was a little snug to get on because I didn't carry the floats long enough for the first repeat.






The second sock I wanted to do with reverse colours. Remember? Well I started it and was on row 16 when I read the comments on the previous post and remembered - ack!!! I am suppose to be reversing the colours.

So I frogged back to the cuff and restarted.

It was a little tricky to remember that the dark square in the chart means the light yarn and vice versa, but once I got the pattern rolling I had very few places where I forgot and had to tink back a few stitches.


I turned the heel last night and here is my progress on sock number two. This is the wrong side of the sock as I am knitting them inside out so the floats will be looser.

Can you see the reversal?  Cool, eh?











One night I did a few more rows on Iona square number 15 - but not enough to rate a picture.

When I was on the little island I bought a knitting magazine and it had a kit to make a unicorn. I have all the pieces knit but now I need to sew them together (my least favourite knitting task). Next week I will unveil the little unicorn stuffy.

And the one more thing?





It is my dh's and my 40th wedding anniversary today! Yup, 40! There has been some tinking back over the years, and some frogging, and even a few times when the project was put on a time out, but all in all here we are - and both glad to be together, still in love, and the best of friends.

Morning Coffee

I am sitting on the back deck, chasing the sun around and listening to all the different bird songs.

I am home after a month away and the bird feeders were E.M.P.T.Y.!

Now I have filled them and the Pine Siskins, House Finches, Downy Woodpecker and Chick-a-dees are all flitting back and forth and eating their fill. I haven't seen any hummingbirds yet. They take longer to lure back to the feeders after an absence. Stubborn little things.

Our cat is around, and is slowly forgiving us for our absence and he is sitting barking at the birds. I wish I could record the sound he makes - it is definitely a bark!

The coffee has hit my system which means it is almost time to get started with the day - put the laundry out to dry in the sun - find the Almond Butter I brought home with me - make toast (with aforementioned Almond Butter) - and plan a long overdue phone date with my son, and daughter.

The days are hot here - 27 degrees Celsius - but the nights cool down quickly so the heat is welcomed and not oppressive.

It is days like this where I feel like I could live here forever. We have already lived here forever - 35 years - but the thought of selling and moving somewhere quieter and less expensive does fill our heads from time to time - especially when the November rains come.

But today, sitting on the back porch, drinking coffee, I feel almost peaceful.

There were tears this morning as I processed some old wounds, but a long hug with my dh helped to put them aside.

Yes, the floor needs washing, and the dust bunnies moved in while we were away, but all in all this will be a lazy day to read, and knit, and putter around.

I might even get out the spinning wheel on the back porch and spin up the fibre I carded a couple of months ago.

I went to a support group yesterday. I have been a few times now and I feel it is helping.

It is all helping.

Time.

Sleep.

Meditation.

Family.

Therapy.

Medication.

And the birds. The birds really are helping.

Yop Update #4 - A month already?

Yes it has been a month already - and I have to say I am further along then I thought I would be.

This week I did finish another square for my Iona and I am half way through number 15, but since they look exactly like the ones before no picture is needed.

However, I did make more progress on my Alhambra socks and as of last night here they are:




The chart is very easy to follow and for the other sock I am going to switch the blue and white around as I read the chart.

We are heading home tomorrow from the little island. It will be hard to leave. There are so many memories here, and it is still unfathomable to me that he is gone and I won't here his voice say my name every again.

Still we will head home and start planning our trip south to catch the eclipse on August 21st.

Another part of my year of projects is to do a more thorough edit on a novel I wrote almost two years ago. The plot of the novel revolves around a post-it note and that is the reason I chose the header I did for this year's Year of Projects challenge.

I plan to get serious about the novel this coming year. I will keep you posted. (No pun intended!)

Year of Projects Update #3 - Pride goeth....

Thank you to all who left comments on my last post. I appreciate your kind words and responses. Last night we went down to our favourite spot to watch the sunset and I know our guy was there with us in spirit.



I did finish (finally) the SlipStichSpiral socks. When you knit socks on 2 mm needles they do seem to take f.o.r.e.v.e.r.



A dear friend and I are knitting the same pattern from my Op-Art book. It is called Alhambra and it is a fairisle pattern.

The cuff starts with a provisional cast-on using a crochet chain. I proudly announced to the room that I knew how to do this and merrily made a crochet chain and then cast-on to the chain.

I knit my 12 rounds and then folded over the cuff to join with the provisional cast-on to make a hemmed cuff.

Well?

I clearly hadn't cast on properly because the chain didn't unravel smoothly and I had to clip each chain in order to free the stitch. I did persevere but it took much too long. For the second sock I will cast on being more careful about which part of the crochet chain I pick up.

I did get seven rounds into the fairisle, but it is not an easy pattern to do while listening to family chatting so I put it aside.



I started another square of my Ione and was pleased to get to row 20 before bed. I will finish it sometime today. I am finding each square easier then the one before although I did have to tink back one and a half rows to fix an errant colour change.



I also made a page on this blog with my list of projects for this year's YOP so you can check that out and I will update it when I finish projects and/or add projects to the list.

If you want to follow other yoppers check out the Ravelry group here.

Year Of Projects - Week Two - Turning the Heel

Sometimes in life all you can do is put one foot in front of the other. You walk.

Sometimes in life you take one more stroke and then one more. You swim.

Sometimes in life you just keep paddling, or rowing, or breathing.

And, sometimes all you can do is cry.

Our family lost a dear man two weeks ago. I was the best man at his wedding. He was the best man to all who knew him.

So here I am, keeping company with those of us in grief, and when I can I pick up my knitting.

There is something soothing about making a stitch, and then another.

My sister and I sometimes knit in silence, sometimes we talk, sometimes we just put our knitting down in our laps and we cry.

I did turn the heel this week.

It took me two tries, and a fair bit of tinking, and except for a tiny hole, which I can fix when I sew in the ends, it is good.

It is better than good.

Because sometimes if you just keep moving forward, even with some backward steps in the middle, you will get to where you want.

My family is not sure where we want to be right now. We know who we would like to be with us, but that is not what the fates had in store.

I know that I can hear his voice as he looks at my sock-in-progress. "You did that?!" he would say.

Yes, I did that. This week, when it seemed that sometimes the ache was too deep, I kept knitting and I turned the heel. And when the socks are finished I will think of him whenever I wear them.

Sometimes carrying on is all we can do.

Sometimes it is the least we can do.

I know he is watching us and sending us signs that it will all be okay in the end.

If it's not okay, it's not the end.