Yopping Update #24 - Learning new tricks

 

This has been a 'learn new skills' kinda week.  First of all I needed to repair my mitered sock yarn blanket.

About five years ago I finished this:

Last Monday I discovered a hole in one of the eight-hundred squares. 

I blame Otis (the cat)

Luckily I had favourited a  blog post via Ravelry on how to replace a square in the middle of the blanket so once I located the post the rest was fairly straightforward.  

hardest part was finding my woven in ends

 First I had to undo the damaged square from the blanket making sure to catch the live stitches on two sides of the square and pick up the correct number of stitches on the other two sides. 

Then I had to start knitting each row remembering on every other row to knit the last stitch in the row together with the side stitch from the adjacent square.  With me so far?

Ready to start

More than half way done

Ta-Da!

I say Ta-Da, but it took the best part of an afternoon to complete the repair. 

The second skill I learned was how to compensate for the 'jog' in the pattern when you are knitting fairisle in the round.  I wasn't happy with the first paw sock and so I looked up how to correct the jog for the second sock.  It took me a while to wrap my head around the instructions, and I did have to chart it out for myself but once I got going it was actually quite easy and I am very happy with the result.  

Can you see how the bottom and top of the right side of the pad looks wonky?

This is because when knitting in the round you are actually spiralling up as you knit so the end of the round is actually one row higher than the beginning of the round.  

Now it looks right. 

If you are interested in the technique you can check out this interweave article here. 

Otherwise this week I have been keeping up with my gnome KAL.  I am knitting two of them in different colour combinations and I am looking forward to sharing them with you once they are finished and allowed to be viewed. 

I am also keeping up with the gansey scarf KAL.  Wolhobby releases about 20 rows a day which is totally doable and for the most part easy tv knitting.  

In between as I have mentioned above I am knitting my 19th pair of socks.  I finished the first one on Thursday 

The pattern calls for an afterthought heel, but I did a fishlips kiss heel instead.  

I am making pretty good progress on sock #2.  I am glad I didn't knit these two at a time so I could fix the paws on the back of the sock.  No-one would notice, but I am glad I had an excuse to learn something new.

 

I have been walking everyday - and my new waterproof pants arrived which I took for a test run on Friday.  They work great so I am all set for the wintery rainy weather.  We got a little snow last night , and we had a little earlier in the week, but so far nothing to concern ourselves with. 

I did get my booster on Wednesday.  I went with my husband and took my form from the doctor explaining my immune compromised health condition.  The manager said it was the wrong form, but he was very kind and I think because I was tearing up and a wee bit shaky he gave the go ahead for me to get the jab.  I am so grateful. We both had a sore arm for a couple of days, but by Saturday the soreness had gone away. 

I got my Christmas cards in the mail last week as well, and have picked up a few stocking stuffers (when I pass a store on my walks and there aren't any line-ups) so I am feeling like any Christmas shopping frenzy is well in hand.  

Today is the third sunday of Advent and the animals have joined my advent wreath.  We are still having regular whatsapp chats with our granddaughter to open the wee advent knits.  

I saw this little gnome on one of my walks this past week.  There is always something that catches my eye to photograph.  

It is a gnomey kind of Christmas 

  I will leave you with this scene from my Friday walk.  I think it is something we all need, right?

  Oh, and this too.  

Can you spot the difference?  
Two of these things are not like the others!

A dear friend sent me two books this past week.  I am really enjoying these.  I had never heard of Clara Parkes, but they are enjoyable reads for knitters and other fibre lovers.  

I am reading the anthology about stashes right now - so funny, and oh so true. 

Have a great week dear Readers.  Take time to enjoy the season.  Take a walk or drive around your neighbourhood in the evening.  This year especially the Christmas lights seem like magic to me.