Yopping Update #52 - It's a wrap in rhyme

Year number eight is over and done
50 projects and most of them fun.

I posted every week not missing one
and kept up on the other yoppers'  fun.

Two blankets were finished, a crochet and a knit
Quite a feat to make all the squares fit!

Four shawls made this year, one while away
This Hitchhiker made with pride I'd say

Two of the shawls with vintage yarn  given to me
and the first with found yarn from a store that was free.

Onto the zodiac, a rat, dog and ox
All made as gifts, wrapped up in a box

Three basket weave dish cloths - one made with a hook
and two little scrubbies to clean up after the cook.

One emerald green sweater was made just for me
and three little ornaments to hang on our tree

Of course dear little grand-daughter received many hand knits
All made from my stash or from magazine kits.

Some soakers, a onesie and a cross over top
 A hoodie, some booties, I just couldn't stop.

There was one pair of socks and two pairs of mittens
(did I mention in Croatia I saw lots of kittens?)

A hedgehog, some sheep, and rocky raccoon
and Christmas tree ornaments not a moment too soon.

Elephants and owls and one noel mouse
plus a tape measure cover for my dear daughter's house

A sunflower bookmark to keep one's place
And one more little flower to brighten the space

Of course I knit socks 'cause that's what I do
One pair for me and my dear husband too

Then there were these taxi socks made for my son
I designed them myself, my very first one

One amigurumi monkey, I had planned to do
but he was so cute, I had to make two

 I knit and felt slippers, a first time for me
They fit like a glove, so I am happy you see.


This year while dealing with a very sore arm
I couldn't knit for months to save me more harm

Now that diagnosis could have spelled doom
But look, I made curtains for my bedroom!


So that is my wrap up - all done in rhyme
No rest for me, there just isn't time.

Tomorrow Year Nine starts - my list is all done
Things to knit and fibre to be spun!

One more thing I have to shout out loud
As a grandmother I am so very proud.

To catch other wrap up posts go here
These yopping friends of mine are all very dear.

Yopping update #51 - ohoh

So I was zooming along on my sleeves, two at a time, when I realized I wasn't doing any of the increases.   Oops!   I am not tinking back four inches of cabling, so I will start the decreases now. 

I also felt like the sleeves were going to be too bulky, so I separated the yarn (which was double) and will complete them with only one strand.  I think this will ensure I have enough for the whole sweater in the end.  I did the calculation of yardage used so far, and what is left and it will be close, but doable for sure.  Making a sweater out of recycled yarn is not for the faint of heart that is for sure. 

The cabling and heavy yarn is hard on my arm - as I have stated before I can only do about four rows before my arm gets sore, so.......

I cast on a lace weight shawl with some left over lace I have.  It is a mosaic pattern and I think it will be quite lovely when it is done.  All pinks and purples. The pattern is slip knit love.

So that is that on the knitting front.  I have to get my wrap up post ready for next week and then on to Year Nine.  Looks like I will be taking two wips into Year Nine with all my ideas of Advent knits (no, really, this is the year for the Advent knits!!)

To follow other yoppers check out their posts here.  Some of them are wrapping up this week (I always seem to be a week behind, sigh.)

Yopping Update #50 - Ta-Done

And she is done!

So there is that. 

I have made some progress on the Fisherwoman's sweater - six inches this week. I can manage 4 rows before I have to put it down and give my arm a rest so it will be slow going.  I have 6 more inches on the back before I start the neck shaping.  I have already cast on the two sleeves, and done the ribbing so once the back is done I will do the sleeves before the front. 

This week there has been some pool exercising for my arm, and on top of physio I also had doctor and dentist checkups. On Thursday I went to the Vancouver Symphony where they played live the soundtrack from "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" while we watched the film.  It was a wonderful evening and I even took my own wand to the event to be part of the dress-up that seems to be important at functions like this!

Two more weeks to go for this Yopping year and I am working on my list for Year Nine.   I have been through my queue on Ravelry and picked out some things to work on, but knowing me I will find other projects that interest me along the way. 

To follow my other Yopping friends check out their posts here.

This morning and afternoon we have had a riot of hummingbirds flitting back and forth to the feeder, the swing, and the trees.  I am not sure if it is mating behaviour or fledglings, but it has been exciting.

Yopping Update #49 - 1000 stitches and counting!

I worked on putting my squares together and I am very happy with the result.  I used mattress stitch to put the sides of the squares together in strips and then used slip stitch crochet to put the strips together picking up the cast on and cast off edges.

Next the border decisions.  The pattern called for knitting each side of the border separately but I opted to pick up all the stitches and work the border as one!   I picked up 39 stitches on each side of each square - that was easy for the cast on/cast off edges, but I had to do the math to equally space 39 stitches over 58-60 rows.  I luckily have a 100cm circular needle which can hold all my stitches.  At the beginning and end of each row I do an increase so the corners end up mitered.

I did the math to figure out if I had enough stash to do the border.  I knit a 20 x 20 garter stitch swatch and then weighed it.  4 gms.  I frogged the swatch and measured the yardage. 8 yds.  Then I calculated how many stitches in each colour of the border.  It came out I had enough of one colour, but I really wanted some orange to pop the border.  I went to Michaels and as I walked towards the bins of Loops and Thread DK there was the colour I wanted.  Easy peasy.  And with my 40% off coupon it only cost my 4.99!  I wanted to finish the border with dark blue, but didn't have enough in my stash.  I took the blanket to my quilting friend, and lo and behold she had the perfect colour blue in her stash.  That is where I am today - I will do the last 3 rows in the dark blue and then it is done.
I currently have 1000 stitches on the needle.  Good mindless knitting as I binge watch the new season of Killing Eve.

I have been weaving ends in as I go, so once I cast off and sew up the one mitered edge it will all be finito!

So that was my week. No work on Fisherwoman's sweater, but she will be on deck as soon as this blanket is off the needles.

I have physio tomorrow and the dentist so I imagine tomorrow evening I will be grumpy and sore.

I am working on my list of projects for next year.  I think that it will be pretty free form except for my advent knits.  I also am committing myself to getting my novel published one way or another in the coming year - so that will be at the top of my list too.  I know it isn't crafty related, but it is creative, and it definitely is a project!

Exercise wise I got to the pool only once this week (feeling sorry for myself), but I got in two walks, and I tried a Zumba class yesterday.  It wasn't a real Zumba class as I thought it would be, but it was a class called Strong by Zumba which was like a pilates/aerobics/boxing class.  I did what I could while protecting my arm.  There were a lot of squats so I expect my legs will be uber sore tomorrow.

So that's it for me - except of course the ubiquitous picture of my grand-daughter - sleeping like a baby!  I wish I could sleep like that, but with my sore arm a full night's sleep is still impossible.

To follow other yoppers as we count down the end of Year of Projects 8 check out their blogs here. 

Yopping Update #48 - Putting it all together

June already?  What?

Yes, and four more weeks to wrap up the 8th Year of Projects (but for me the end of my 2nd year).

I have been making a little progress on the fisherwoman's sweater - 4 rows a day is my max, but on Thursday and Saturday my arm was too sore for even that.

I am pleased with the pattern so far

I did finalize the order of my squares in the knit along blanket and I found the advice to turn the pictures into gray scale helped in my final decision.  

bottom three rows are sewn together

I tried a couple of methods to sew them together but didn't like the look.  So I am sewing the six squares in each individual row together using the mattress stitch, and then I will decide how to join all the rows together after that.  

I will need to buy some yarn, I think, for the border.  The pattern calls for a knit border, but I might do a crochet border.  More decisions coming my way.  (And we all know how I LOVE making decisions.)  I imagine there is some way to calculate how much yarn I will need for the border so I will have to get out my math skills and dust them off.  Then, maybe, I will have enough in my leftover stash rather than having to purchase more (and that is another decision!)

On the home front I finally fixed the running toilet. Thankfully it only took a nine dollar seal (and an evening or two spent on the internet).  The peace and quiet is fantastic!

I got out for a couple of long walks this week, and three visits to the pool.  My physio on Thursday was good, but, man, did my arm ever hurt for the rest of that day and through the night.  

I am now off to the pool, and then I will spend some time in the sun on the back porch.  I bought some potting soil this past week, and all my porch flowers are looking lush and happy, and I planted two tomato plants for our late summer harvest.  

To follow other yoppers check out their posts here.   We are getting down to the wire, and I am already planning what to work on next year.

If you are a crafter, and on Ravelry, then consider joining us.  It is a great group - supportive and inspiring - and it helps keep one on track.  (Well, it helps keep me on track anyway.)