Hello Dear Readers,
I have been Missing in Action since the start of Year of Projects for 2022-2023 but I am back now. I may not post every week, but I have missed the comaraderie of this group and am looking forward to catching up on everyone else's posts.
I won't flood this post with pictures of ALL the things I have knit for the past two and a half months, but I will focus on the highlights.
Foxpaws is definitely a highlight and a shawl I am very proud of:
There have been a two pairs of socks completed:
And I have two singles that need mates:
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| inside of doubleheel sock |
I am currently test knitting another sock with about 3inches done - but no pics because no spoilers. Same goes for the Imagined Landscapes September Gnome KAL - you will have to wait until October to see it.
I have added six little gnomes to my Advent gnome knits (the six in the back)
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| 18 done, 6 to go |
I am almost finished the pattern on the front of my son's Gansey and then I have to re-read Gordon's blog on the Rig and Furrow shoulder strap. I have to say I have been doing a bit of fretting about whether it will fit or not, and I keep measuring and remeasuring the distance from where I have separated the front and back to get to the 10inches my son needs for armhole depth.
(designing your own gansey comes with a bit of trepidation it seems).
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| My latest wee little gnome wanted get in on the pic |
I knit a summery tunic by a wonderful Ukranian designer. The front is plain stockingnette with a wee bit of lace on the bottom, but look at how lovely the back is!
In further news I won a £25 coupon from Black Sheep Wools in the UK for my Tomte Christmas tree skirt. It is featured in issue 229 of Simply Knitting magazine (so of course I had to buy a copy). I already ordered two skeins of wool from them. 100gms of self-patterning sock yarn, and 200gms of lace to knit a summery sweater. The irony of the 'win' is that the shipping to Canada is £25 but still it was a good excuse to increase my stash.
So you can see despite not posting for the past three months I am still knitting (when I am not spinning, or swimming, or generally taking care of myself).
Speaking of spinning - last week I received in the mail 5 ounces of fibre that I won during Tour de Fleece!
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| I love this colourway |
I am currently combing and spinning some Fresian fleece my son gave me from a farm in the Yukon where he lived for 18 months.
On the personal, non-knitting, front I have decided to become a 'wild' swimmer this fall and winter. I ordered some neoprene gloves/booties/cap to use as the ocean temperatures dip into single digits. I also bought a water thermometer so I will know exactly what I am getting into before I enter the ccoolldddd water. I have two sisters and a brother that wild swim, and, well, they have convinced me to give it a go. I did swim in the ocean yesterday for 16 minutes. The ocean temp was about 14.4 degrees Celcius. Of course my husband thinks I am a wee bit nuts, but he drives me to and fro and sits on the beach watching. (He has made it quite clear that should anything go awry he will be no help as he is a sinker, not a swimmer! Good to know, eh?
I will leave you with a picture of a visitor we had in front of our house on Saturday afternoon.
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| And he was BIG |
Signing off for now - I will try to be more timely in my posts from now on.
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| This wildlife is much more welcome than Mr. Black Bear |
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So good to 'see' you again, Mary-Anne. You certainly have been keeping your hands busy the last couple of months. Look at all those socks! Those Knitloop are fabulous! The fox paw shawl is a work of art. I had seen it done before but never in blues. It is so pretty in those colors. Gnomes! I have joined the gnome band wagon. Love the little magical creatures. You are the one that inspired me to give it a try. Your little Advent gnomes are just the sweetest. Vroda is gorgeous. The lace...absolutely gorgeous! Your hair has really gotten long too. It looks great. You certainly do have some lovely fiber to spin up. Now, seeing a black bear on my front porch is a terrifying thought. Is this a normal thing where you live? The hummingbird is more my style of wild life. We have people here in Arizona who don neoprene suits in the winter to swim in their backyard pools. I had never heard of wild swimming before but it does sound much colder than out backyard pool gets. Let us know how it goes.
ReplyDeleteWe get bears a few times a year and neighbours alert each other if one seems to be hanging around. I yell out as I head to my car - "Ok Mr. Bear I am here" hoping that if one is around the side of the house or the back side of the truck he will lumber away.
DeleteOh goodness you have been busy. I just LOVE your woven mosaic socks!!! I so enjoy your posts not the least in that I get to enjoy your beautiful artwork header. That summer tunic is indeed just beautiful. I bet you are getting a lot of joy from wearing it. The gansey socks are amazing too. Wow, that's some bear. We don't have bear in southwest Ohio. So nice to get to see all the beautiful things you have been making. I'm afraid to go down the gnome path. I can see them taking over the house!!
ReplyDeleteThey really can take over, those gnomes, but they are so darn cute!
DeleteI'm so happy to see you back and so many things to ooh and aah over. Firstly, my goodness those gnomes in the egg boxes are just too cute. What a cool way to display them. Have you named them? That one wanting to get in on the photos needs a name for sure. For me, in a land with no bears, the thought of one so close seems very exciting. What a handsome one too. Have you had a look for a swimming group to join. There's a new program in Scotland called Sean's Scotland...he joined in with some ladies who call themselves the Menopausal Mermaids...they have one male member and some of them say they are before or long past menopause they just thought it a fun name. If you could find some others they may be more willing and able to come to your rescue just in case. Do you swim with a float you trail behind you? Even a water sack you can fill with air is better than nothing. Have fun, my friend Steph goes and they once cracked the ice around the loch to get in one day!
ReplyDeleteI do have a 'swimbuddy' that I tow behind me. It is bright orange so I can be seen. I also have a whistle attached to it if I need help. I have connected with a local wild swimmer group and I have one person and perhaps two that want to meet up. I will keep you posted!
Delete👍🏻 Liz
DeleteOh my goodness I forgot to mention the woven pattern socks! I'm adding those to my queue now.
ReplyDeleteGood to see you here and know you're ok and keeping busy. That foxpaws shawl is beautiful and yes the gnomes are cute! Not sure about the bear though! Good luck with the swimming. I hope you can find some others to swim with.
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