Yopping Update #2 - Planaria? Planarium? Planarii?

 

While working on designing my toddler gansey I attempted various planaria motifs.  Here is my progress:

Take 1- an outline with a wiggle - nope

Take 2 - still a wiggle and tried to fix head - still nope

Take 3 - how about no wiggle? (no improvement)

Take 4 - let's fill in the body - almost

Take 5 - blocking has almost got it where I want it

Take 6 - oriented different way ( pretty happy) 

Take 7 - The best one just before finishing cuff on the 2nd sleeve - phew!

So yes, the toddler gansey is complete - ends sewn in, washed and blocked.

recipient tbd

Besides designing planaria I was focused on spinning every day for Tour de Fleece.  Last Sunday was the challenge day so I spun a bobbin using the long backward draw method.  It took a bit to get into the rhythm, but I finished off a bobbin I had started last September, and then filled a 2nd bobbin so I would have enough to ply. 

plied and ready for niddy-noddy

128 metres - 85 gms

washed and thwacked

I started with 250 gms of fibre - either Shetland or Gotland - and I am determined to spin it all during this tour.  I have laid out about 20 gms a day so if all things go well I will finish it by the 18th when Tour de Fleece ends.  Today is another challenge day and I will get out my turkish spindle and update you on that progress next week. 

I only have one wip which is my Strandwanderer scarf.  I am enjoying this knit very much, and because of all the short rows I decided to learn to knit backwards to avoid turning the work constantly.  I taught myself and it seemed tedious so I went on you tube for a quick lesson.  It turns out I was purling backwards which doesn't really effect the result since it is a garter stitch scarf, but once I learned how to knit backwards it goes very quickly.  I am half way done now so should be finished by the time by sock yarn haul from Knit Picks arrives. 

No fear of yarn chicken because you just knit until you run out of yarn!

On the non-knitting/spinning/planaria planning/backward knitting front I had a busy week now that I am fully vaccinated and past the two week waiting period.  This meant:

eye check-up on Tuesday

dental cleaning and exam on Wednesday

Lunch on a restaurant patio with a friend - also Wednesday

Ordered take out Sushi yesterday and had it in the village plaza with an iced Latte

So I am slowly trying to resume some 'normal' activities.  As I tell my sister - babysteps!

There is my update for the week of Yopping.  I will soon begin the adult gansey complete with a planaria or two for my friend, and once the Knit Picks order arrives I will be casting on some socks.  

I will leave you with a picture of our local mountains - these two peaks are called The Lions.  Earlier this week at dusk I could really see them overlooking our evening walk by the sea. 

The indigenous peoples call them the Two Sisters

If you want to subscribe to this blog you can go to Bloglovin  It is a great site where you can subscribe to any blog you want and when there is a new post it will be emailed to you.   You can find Breathing Life at https://mary-mann.blogspot.com

Year of Projects 11 - Let's do it all again

 

Painting I did August 2018

Well, here we are again - another year of Yopping, knitting, crocheting, spinning, and enjoying writing for, and catching up with, readers and other yoppers. 

I think I have come up with a modest list to start the year knowing full well that I will add projects along the way that take my fancy.  I did make a rather large order of Stroll sock wool from KnitPicks a few days ago.  I have grown weary of variegated yarns so choose a rainbow of solid colours.  (Of course I had to get my order up to 100 dollars so I could get a cool tote bag for free.  I'll post pictures when my goodies arrive!)

So with no further ado I present my plan for the next 12 months. 

Wips:

Toddler Gansey

I have been focused on this project all week.  I frogged about 4 inches of my gauge sample I had made for my gansey so I could start the gusset for the sleeves.  This project took a lot of math on my part to design the size and pattern placement.  I don't think the heat we had this week helped because I swear it took me a whole day to plan out the sleeves!  You can read more about the math in my project notes here if you are on Ravelry and so inclined.  I am learning so much from designing this gansey without a pattern and it will help me when I design an adult one in the future.  I have tried three different attempts at a planaria on this toddler gansey and I am not yet happy with any of them.  I will try one more on the 2nd sleeve - I am determined to find just the right combination of knits and purls so the planaria will be recognizable.  I will post more about this process next week. 

Strandwanderer shawl

I started this shawl and I am enjoying how the short rows are making the colours in the wool form little blocks.  It was a bit of a brain exercise for the first time through the pattern.  I thought I was doing it wrong and frogged 18 rows before looking at the tutorial and seeing I had done it right the first time!  Now the pattern is easy to remember (as long as I am not watching a complicated TV show at the same time).

And now for my plan for the next twelve months.  This list will be a new page at the top of this blog - but here it is as it stands today - the beginning of Year of Projects 11 (year 6 for me).

Sweaters

Mini Elizabeth Zimmerman surprise sweater for tree  (from last year's list and probably the year before!)

Gansey for Taylor

Gansey for Kyle and/or Brian

Spinning 

Tour de Fleece 2021 - finish 250 gm spin   (possibly dying it too)

Mitts

Joy - Pride Fingerless Gloves

Socks

Advent Socks (from last year's list)

7 pairs - patterns to be determined with all the Stroll sock yarn I bought on July 1st! 

Red Pair

Yellow Pair

Green Pair

Orange Pair

Blue Pair

Purple Pair

Russet Pair

Crochet 

Weebee doll and clothes (from last year's list)

learn 3D granny squares

Small Knits

A gnome or two

Otherwise this week we had to contend with very unusual (for us) hot, hot weather.  It was 39C which for you American folks is 102F!  There was not much walking this week.  Even in the early mornings it was in the 90s!!!

On a funny note - on the hottest days we had to contend with a broken furnace!  LOL!!  We had turned on the fan only for a couple of days to try to bring up the cool air from the basement, but then when we tried to turn the fan off - it wouldn't.  We did finally get it fixed by monkeying around with it - but we only hope once we need the fan when the heat is on it will go off and on as it should. 

It was Canada Day on Thursday July 1st, but with the news of more unmarked graves found near residential school sites across the country it didn't seem the time to celebrate.  Instead I wore an orange shirt and went for a walk thinking of those affected but this tragedy.  Even nature seemed to want to show its support. 

If you want to know more about why the orange shirt is a symbol of support you can read about it here. 

For my American readers and friends - today is July 4th, and I hope you are spending time with family and friends and maybe having a bbq, or waiting for fireworks.  Whatever you are doing and whomever you are with I wish you a happy day. 

I got this picture of my dear grand-daughter.  She is 2 1/2 now!  I love the look on her face.  I truly hope this fall I will be able to see her and her mom and ta-ta in person!!

If you want to subscribe to this blog you can go to Bloglovin  It is a great site where you can subscribe to any blog you want and when there is a new post it will be emailed to you.   You can find Breathing Life at https://mary-mann.blogspot.com