Winter Blahs

I am afraid I have given into the winter blahs--the excitement of the wedding and of the holidays is over and I am just feeling alone and old. In short, feeling very sorry for myself--must quit the pity party.

Update on projects--green afghan met an untimely frogging. I had about 11 or 12 inches completed when I looked at the beginning and discovered four very noticible errors--why oh why did it take me that long to discover the mistakes. I was able to correct three of the errors without any problems but the 4th one , despite working several hours on it--ripping back all the way to the beginning in that section--just did not look right. Of course, if I had been willing to sew the 15 panels--all I would have lost was one little section. I have restarted the afghan and switched to winter white--same pattern--and yes, I did not learn my lesson--I am still not willing to sew 15 panels and I am doing it as one panel.

Here is a picture of the green afghan about a week before it met the frog pond and below it is a picture of the new winter white one.









My daughter asked me to make her friend a green hat--used Charlene Schurch's pattern of Aran watch hat. I did it in some old yarn I had lying around --the color is prettier than pictured here--somehow have managed to get strange settings on my camera and have not figured out how to get it back to the simple basic ones. This is a really nice pattern--lots of interest but once the pattern is set, you never have to either memorize or look at the book--can just look at the hat and know what to do next.


Also finished my wheat sheaves scarf-stitch pattern from Barbara Walker's second book--I liked the looks of it and pattern was easily memorized.

New Projects

I dug out an old Bernat Treasury of Afghans book, why you ask when you have bought all those new books--well I was looking for something else and ran across this and this afghan caught my eye. The pattern called for it to be knit in panels--but that would have been 15! panels to sew up so I decided to do it as one. Did 10 rows x233 stitches = 2033 stitches-did not like how it was turning out--ripped those out--started over with smaller needles--liked that. But now as I look at it -after another 3495 stitches- I am not sure I like the pattern in the color of the yarn--I like the pattern--I like the color but maybe not together. Wish I had done it in panels as the pattern

was written--then I wouldn't be ripping out 2033 or 3495 stitches.

While I make up my mind whether I am going to continue, I started another project. I have been resisting buying Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns series because I have so many stitch dictionaries. I broke down the other day and ordered a second hand copy--I love it!! Volume 2 has arrived but volume one is hopefully on its way--I wish that I had bought a new copy although there is really nothing wrong with the one I got. I am chart challenged and her second volume has the printed instructions so it is perfect for me--started this scarf-name of pattern is wheat sheaves.

I still have some presents to wrap--so hoping everyone has a wonderful holiday. See you next year.

The Wedding

The weather was horrible-lots of snow and sleet, not sure of the exact amout but at my house and driveway I think the full 6 inches fell. The out of town relatives called and weren't able to make it, but most of the folks around here braved the storm and made it to the wedding.

I thought the wedding turned out wonderfully. I admit that there were several things about the wedding I was not sure of--but in the end, as they say. everything turned out for the best. The girls all looked beautiful and the boys all looked handsome. Here are a few pictures of the happy event. I really enjoyed the wedding and I'm really glad that it is over.

Life after Shrugery

Tonight is the rehersal dinner and tomorrow is the big day! Of course we have a winter storm watch for Saturaday with the possibility of six inches of snow accumulation. However, they have been predicting bad weather for the last couple of days and we have dodged the bullet, so here's hoping that our luck holds out for two more days.

Have had a little bit of time to do some little projects--the cream colored and red hat are from a pattern from Monica Jines as are the mittens. A kit for the hat and mittens can be purchased here https://www.shopatron.com/product/part_number=230/630.0.0.0.0.0.0 . The hats are knit in some practice yarn and the mittens are knit in the South West Trading Company Gianna. I really liked the feel of that yarn but found that it was more challenging to work with--made my hands tired.

The lighter blue hat was made before the shrugs were started and it is from an old pattern from a leaflet called Cozy Quartet by Bernat. The darker blue hat was just a simple rib hat.

The scarf below was from a lion brand pattern called Sweet Scallops--I made one smaller for a scarf for a gift and then made it in shawl size for another person for a Christmas gift. That pattern can be found here http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/60744A.html?noImages=0.

Bad Pictures

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving--23 of us were able to be there. My sister's house looked beautiful and we all enjoyed being together. Also on a happy note, I was able to gift some of my yarn that I will probably never use to my cousin. She and her daughter are learning to knit and continue to crochet. (hehe-more room in the yarn closet for new stuff!)

I have also finished the shrugs-oh happy day!! This is a bad picture of them but my daughter came unexpectedly to collect them and she hurried to take a picture of all of them. So--even though its not the best picture--I still wanted a shot of them all together. The one that looks like a different color--is a different color and was the practice shrug. The little black one belongs to the flower girl and you can barely see, but the red and black one was a prototype that didn't get used. I frogged the other two that didn't work out for the yarn.


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My daughter has decided that she wants a stole from the material for the bolero jacket so at least I am saved making another shrug.

I did get to knit a couple of different things this week--finished the Irish Hiking scarf for her male attendant--thought he should get something since the female attendants received the shrugs.



I also almost finished a hat, but have made a mistake in my decreases so I need to redo the rows starting with the decrease rows.

And lastly have started crocheting the scarf item below.




One more good news to report--I have only a couple of more gifts to get and then I will have my Christmas shopping done. another--oh happy day!

My Invitation Came Too

Yeah! I got my invitation to Ravelry last night. I am Bethn on ravelry. Not much time to play with it yet, but I can see that there is a lot to do and see.

Second arm of the 8th shrug--the end is in site.

November

The engagement picture--doesn't she look beautiful? They both look so happy and peaceful.

Ok--how can it be November--it was just October. This is getting to be scary--time flying by so fast that I can't keep up. Well the wedding is just 6 weeks off and I am getting nervous about whether everything will be done. She is such an individual and is so determined to do things her way, plus doing her student teaching, plus taking a class and trying to work--she is very stressed out at the moment and that stresses me!

The eighth shrug is on the needles, not very far along, but just one more to go after this one--That is unless she can't find someone to make her bolero jacket. It has been such a long time since I sewed anything--I don't think I am up to working on a tailored jacket to go with a wedding gown. We did find a shrug pattern she liked if we can't find a pattern she likes or someone to sew the jacket. Here is the link http://www.knitscene.com/photos/project22.asp. Her gown is ivory so will need to find right yarn if she decides to go in that direction.
It seems that each shrug continues to take that much longer than the last one. I am not letting myself start anything else until I am done with them and it is getting so boring. Here is one of
the junior bridesmaids trying on the dress and shrug. Doesn't she look beautiful too!


I have some new patterns that I am dying to try out. The Loppy Ewe has several of Monica's patterns and I have purchased some yarn from the Loopy Ewe with some of those patterns in mind. I finally decided it was time to drag out my swift and ball winder. I have had them for two years -purchased with the 50% off coupon at one time or another at Joann's, but have continuted to wind the yarn by hand until now. Turns out there is a learning curve--at least there was for me--I have seen everybody else's neat little cakes of yarn and assumed that I would get the same result. Here is the pic of the first result. Poor little misshapen shaped cakes of yarn!





I did get somewhat better, but I certainly have seen neater ones.
My picture taking ability is very poor--the yarn doesn't show up nearly as pretty as it is.


All for now--must get back to the shrugs--sigh.