What Word Starts with B and Gets Knitters Excited

 Hi Dear Blog  Readers,

How are you doing with the time change?  As Joe and I get older, we like it less and less. Just leave things alone.  But I do like sitting outside on a summer evening watching the sun go down.  Our weather has been sporadic this week.  Ice storm on Friday.It was freezing fog they said. All of the trees driveways, etc were covered in ice. Then Saturday it went up to 70.  I took a long walk yesterday morning.  Felt so good.

So....did you guess what word starts with B and gets knitters excited?  If you guess "Block" you are right!

I finished up the sweater this morning, and it's currently blocking. I will wait to bind off the sleeves until I try it on..  I'll share the sweater's story next week (as if you didnt know already!)

 I had a lot of yarn left.  It's such wonderful yarn.  Kelbourne Woolens SCOUT.

Too much for a hat, not enough for a sweater.  Maybe hats or mittens for the little boys. 

While I'm waiting for the next big knit, I'll work on finishing up sock #2.

 
 Ruth's Dark Roast Smock  sweater is the spotlight project of the week I think.  Check out these beautiful cables.

She noticed that she forgot to turn a cable, and instead of tinking or ripping as I would, she figured out out to just drop the cable stitches and fix them.  She is currently knitting back and forth (not in the round anymore) and it's very complex and slow and look how totally beautiful it is.

Martha started a sweater for her friend Ren.  Ren is very eclectic and that is what this sweater will be - totally fun.  Martha is designing it from the Ann Budd Book of Top Down sweaters. 

Here is the start:

In other news:

I was very domestic today and now I'm pooped.  Tried to walk but it was very windy and cold.

We are refinishing the spare room and Joe just finished the third coat of varnish on the wood floor. It's beautiful. 

Saw the boys this week but not Joey's kids.  Tell me about your week! 

And the beat goes on...

 Hi Dear Blog Readers...It's a beautiful sunset here in Western NY tonight. We have had some beautiful days. Some warm days so melting snow.  Last couple days have been cold, but pretty.

I'm working on the 2nd sweater sleeve. As you can imagine, I am sick of this project.  Sick of the colors, the stitches...itching for something new. But, I love this sweater, and would make a 2nd one....after a while...when I'm not sick of this anymore.

 Ruth has worked hard on her beautiful sweater this week. She is decreasing for the neck now.

 Martha is done with her sweater, but for the blocking!   She worked hard on the collar today and decided to overlap the fronts and put after thought buttonholes on it. She researched how to do that.  What a beautiful project.  Lots of beautiful knitting.  Beautiful fit!

 In other news:

We saw Joey's kids this weekend but no pics. They are darling and so fun.  The little boys came today and wanted to play outside. They used food coloring on the snow !  Had a blast and got cold.

Note the hat and scarf...I made! yea!  

 Joe and I watched a really good movie today.  Song Sung Blue.  If you have Peacock app, and have a spare 2 hours, it's well worth the watch.  

Have a good week dear blog readers... 

Gold Medal

 Hi Dear Blog Readers...It's snowy here...again.  Martha is expected to get a lot of snow..she lives in Mass....We watched a lot of Olympics this week and loved all of it. Gold medals for the mens' and ladies hockey teams...we watched both games. So good.

I finished the first sleeve on the Waffle pullover, and felt like I won gold! Ha!  Still have one to go.  I put  the stitches on a string and will evaluate after blocking to make sure the length is right.

 Ruth is working away on her beautiful sweater. She said she has to pay close attention. Look how complex it is...Beautiful!

 Martha has her sweater done in pieces. She is doing a good blocking before she sews together. It will be beautiful when done. She has spent some time thinking of her next sweater...

 In other news:

This beautiful girl had a birthday!

 Saw all of the grands this weekend and my heart is full.

I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead.  Stay safe if you are in the path of the storm. 

 

Something a little different

 Hi Dear Blog Readers,

I have something a little different to talk about today....sun! After a week with more snow, yesterday and today have been beautiful, with temps in the 30's.  I feel like a new person. Today I have been cleaning little nooks and crannies. Joe said what's got into you? I said SUN!  hahaha 

I'm feeling good about my knitting right now.  The sleeve is coming along.  

 

Ruth is almost ready to hook the sleeves to the body of her beautiful sweater. I saw it in person on Thursday and it's stunning.  The cables really pop!

 

Martha's sweater is coming along too!  Here are pics of her pieces on top of each other.  She is doing sell on her sleeves also.

 

Fronts laying on the back

 

In other news:

I got a little floor lamp this week for this space that needed something.  It is tiny.  Shorter than me. But I think it works! It changes colors.  And my favorite thing about it is that the bulb is rechargeable.  I have a wall light with a rechargeable bulb that came in so handy when we lost our power earlier in the year. Better than candles for sure.  But, I have to remember to charge the bulbs!  

 

 

I saw the boys yesterday but no pictures.  They gave me flowers for Valentines Day!

 

Have a great week dear blog readers. 

 

 

Still

 Hi Dear Blog Readers.....

It is still winter x 10000 here in Western NY.  We have been under severe cold warning since Friday. And they were not kidding.  Yesterday it snowed and blowed all day and its still snowing on and off here today.  

No pictures from me this week.  I did some work on the sweater sleeve and saw a mistake a few rows back and I was not happy with the rate of decrease, even though I followed the pattern.  I will fix that  now also.  It takes 4 rows to decrease 2 stitches to keep  with the pattern.  It's all good!

Ruth is done with her sleeves, and started the body of her pretty Dark Roast Smock sweater.  

Martha is doing the front with patterning in her Mulled Cider sweater.  It's going to be sooo nice!

 In other news:

No kid pictures.  We will watch the superbowl but I'm not that excited about it. 

We are loving the Olympics so far!  Go USA! 

 

Winter x 100000000

 Hi Dear blog readers.

We have been slammed with Winter this week, and I think a good many of you were also.  I can't tell you how many times Joe has snow blowed the driveway to keep up.  A lot. And the neighbor's snow blower was broke for much of the week so Joe was nice and did his driveway also.

I have knit mainly on the Waffle sweater sleeve.  I had to rip back a few rows because I saw a mistake.  With this pattern, at least for me, the mistake is not noticeable until about 4 rows past. Not bad progress considering I was too tired to knit two nights after work.  I would knit this sweater again soon though in a different color. It's going to be so nice if I ever get it done.  LOL

 

Spent some time researching yarn for Buffalo Bills colored sweaters for the two boys. Mason's request. Well-- he only asked for one for himself, but Jayce wants everything he gets.  Put my specs into co-pilot, told it the two sizes I wanted, and it spit out a pattern in about 30 seconds!

Example of one page for the small one.⭐  You get the idea.  Oh it also told me which yarn store had all of the colors, and which yarn store was the cheapest.  Unfortunately, the one yarn store closest to me  (1-hour away) was the most expensive.  I got free shipping on what I ordered so a big win for me.

Finished Measurements

• Chest: 26–28"

• Body length: 14–16"

• Sleeve length: 10–12"

1. Neckband

With red, CO 60 sts. Join in the round.

Work 1×1 rib for 1 inch.

Switch to royal blue.

2. Raglan Yoke

Place markers for raglan:

K 10 (front), PM, K 10 (sleeve), PM, K 20 (back), PM, K 10 (sleeve), PM, K 10 (front).

Increase Round (every other round):

• K to marker, M1L, slip marker, K1, M1R — repeat at all 4 markers

• Knit next round plain

• Repeat these 2 rounds

Continue until:

• Front = 36 sts

• Back = 36 sts

• Sleeves = 28 sts each

This usually takes ~14 increase rounds.

I will definitely not start until my sweater is finished.

Last week Joe's sister was here for a couple of nights. Her husband is in the hospital near us, far from her. She did not bring warms socks and told me her feet were cold. She and Joe wear the same size sock. So I took a couple of pair out of his drawer. She sent me this picture and said the other pair were drying and she loved them. Made me feel good. I can't remember making these for Joe. At least 15+ years probably. Who knows.  I washed all of my socks yesterday. They are under the floor baseboard drying.

 Ruth is working away on the 2nd sleeve of her Dark Roast smock sweater. It's going to be so pretty. The cables just POP.

 

 Martha has the back done on her Mulled Cider sweater, and a good start on the front. Notice the stitch marker has her name on it!

 I don't have other news this week.

Stay warm and safe! 

 

 

Bang out a couple of sleeves

 Hi Dear Blog Readers!  Are you in the midst of the winter storm?  It's ramping up pretty good here as I type.  We are supposed to get 10-14ish " by end of day tomorrow.

Great knitting weather!

 Modern Daily Knitting always does a Bang out a Sweater for the month of February. This year the pattern is the Waffle Pullover. The same sweater I've been working on since...well..forever. So I decided to bang out a couple of sleeves and get it done by end of  February hopefully.  I had a good start this week, then I noticed I was off by a stitch so I had to tink back a couple rows.  On the right track again. 

I finished up Jayce's scarf.  He wanted to wrap it around himself. I think he's such a cute little model.

 

Ruth finished her red sweater -  Rolling Rock, Thea Coleman (Baby Cocktails).  It still needs buttons. Yarn is Flora and Fauna Farm. Romney yarn in Thulite colorway.

Perfect fit!  Looks so pretty on her! 

 

She started a new sweater. Pattern calls to knit sleeves first. Look how crips the cables are. Pretty color.

Dark Roast Smock pattern by Anne Hanson. Yarn is a Brooklyn Tweed cone of wool. She is getting the second sleeve started. 

 Martha is working away on her sweater. She just finished the first bindoff at the armpits. It's going to be so very pretty.

 In other news:

I have made bread today. I like to do that during a storm. Makes the house feel cozy.  Joe made cookies.

I cleaned out the bathroom cupboards. They are very deep and some stuff was expired a long long time ago.  I am lucky I get to work at home and won't have to take a vacation day tomorrow.

I hope you are all safe and warm.