I had taken a day of vacation from work, today, so I slept in; then, had a relaxed morning with daughter. Her flight back was in the early afternoon. I don't like saying goodbye to her, but, she'll be back, again, at the end of the week for the week of Thanksgiving! (I really should buy stocks in the airline!)
After I dropped her off at the airport, I went to the library to return the magazines I had borrowed. Then, came home, did a load of laundry, cleaned the bathroom, emptied the trash cans in the house, emptied the dish washer (had done a load of dishes, yesterday), and took the big trash cans to the curb for pick up in the morning.
In between, I knitted. Yesterday, I finished knitting the back of my sweather:
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| Sweater Back |
It measures 23-inches in length.
Then, I tried a couple of different patterns for the front, but ended up unpicking them, as they didn't look how I thought they would (I have a book of knitting stitches, with the pattern directions and pictures of how the pattern is supposed to look like after knitting and blocking; "A Treasury of Knitting Patterns" by Barbara G. Walker). Today, I tried a different pattern and I think I will continue in that pattern:
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| Sweater Front in Progress |
The pattern calls for quite a lot of slipping off of stitches, dropping stitches (in front), yarn overs, carrying the yarn in the back, dropping off the yarn overs, picking up dropped stitches and knitting them, knitting back what was slipped off, etc.. There was a fair amount of unpicking and re-knitting because I made mistakes and miscounted, dropped the wrong stitches, and picked up the wrong ones, but I think I have a pattern that will work for me. I did find out that I can't knit for long stretches of time, though, as my hands start to hurt!
Today, I am grateful for:
- Daughter had a safe flight and journey from the airport to her apartment
- Libraries
- A day of vacation
- Phone calls from cousin and aunt
- A choice of knitting patterns
I had a banana for breakfast, a cold cuts sandwich for lunch, and the rest of daughter's chicken and gnocchi soup with bread (the last of the baguette), for dinner. Daughter had a curried meat balls sandwich for lunch, before she left. I forgot to give her a package of the frozen meatball curry to take back, with her, but she took all the packets of coffee I had bought for her and a box of tea, as well.
How was your Monday? Did you have a good start to your week?
My Monday was a sewing day, and gardening and homekeeping. Your sweater looks great, I like the honeycomb pattern and the cable twist rib. Looks like it needs plenty of concentration though. I'm glad you had a good time with your daughter, but like you, I always find it hard to part. I'll not see my girls again till the evening of Christmas Day. Have a good week x
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a good day, Angela. The knitting pattern isn't too difficult, but it seems like every stitch needs to be worked on twice! I'm sure it feels like a long time until you see your girls, but it'll be something to look forward to. Hope you, too, have a good week, Angela. I am looking forward to your Pauses in Advent, if you do them again.
DeleteThe front of your sweater is going to be so pretty. I knit, but only very simply. When I was 8, I taught myself to knit, but I did it left handed (which I am). I haven't been able to switch so it is very difficult for anyone to help me and there are very few instructions for left handers. And I'm not very good at translating them. Anyway, that's my excuse for not going much beyond hats, scarves and felted purses.
ReplyDeleteMy maternal grandmother was left-handed and she crocheted with her left hand. My mother said it was hard for her to learn crochet from her mother because of it (mother was right-handed).
DeleteI think, if you can knit a scarf, you can knit a sweater. A scarf is a long rectangle; think of a sweater front and back as two shorter rectangles (without any armhole shaping - what is generally known as a drop-shoulder design; it's how I am knitting my current sweater). I will taper the sleeves of my sweater (narrower at the wrist), but one can knit sleeves as two rectangles, as well, without any shaping. So, essentially, you put together 4 rectangles and it becomes a sweater. :) Give it a try! Do a simple garter stitch (knit on both sides) so it will be easy, or use one of those multi-colored/color change yarns so that the yarn forms its own design as you knit. Or, you can make a sleeveless top with just two rectangles for the front and back.
I am sure there are instruction videos on-line for left-handed knitters, as well. You can do it!
Thanks for the encouragement. I did knit a vest once with a little pattern. It took me forever, but I did like it.
DeleteDo a little bit, every day. It can be your winter project. Set aside 1 hour to knit, each day. Do one inch (easy if you use thicker yarn and bigger needles) each day. By the end of the month, you'll have one side done. By the end of the next month, you'll have the other side done. By the end of winter, you'll have a sweater. :)
DeleteGlad you could spend time with daughter. It is always hard to say goodbye. I hate it.
ReplyDeleteYour knitting looks wonderful. I love the pattern.
Thank you, Sharon. The pattern is called English Diamond Quilting Stitch.
DeleteIt was lovely to spend the long weekend with daughter. Saying goodbye, this time, was a little easier because I know it's only for 4 days, as she'll be back again this Friday night for 10 days over Thanksgiving! :) Hope you are having a lovely visit with your daughter.
Amazing!!! Knitting is so pretty. I have many talents. Knitting is not one of them. I would need a tutor sitting by my side. I've taken a class, tried several times, and ended up going back and forth, back and forth, making dish cloths a few times. Maybe a scarf--as long as it's just back and forth. Otherwise, I get mixed up and don't know how to fix my mistakes once I make them. So, I admire those who can knit:)
ReplyDeleteI had a good weekend and actually got to do some sewing for the first time in a while. I was very happy with that, and with the fact that we got some more organizing done and now my fabric is accessible!
Thank you, Becky. If you can knit a dish cloth, then, you can definitely knit a scarf! I will paraphrase what I said to Live and Learn, above. A dish cloth is a square, a scarf is a rectangle. Think of it as a long dish cloth! Start with a simple pattern like the garter stitch (knit on both sides), so there will be no right side/wrong side. And, most knitting is just back and forth! If a scarf seems too intimidating, then, knit a collection of squares and sew them together to make a scarf...or, if you knit enough squares, then, a blanket!
DeleteGlad you had a good weekend and were able to get some sewing and organizing done! I saw the skirt you had sewn - very pretty! Having your fabric more accessible will be a good thing!
How nice to know that your daughter will soon be visiting again.
ReplyDeleteI sympathize with the pattern you have to unpick as I did something like it 3 years ago. I think it was called English Lattice and when I had finished the back of the sweater, I realized that my second bag of yarn was a different dye lot. So I ended up undoing the whole thing and made a plainer sweater with horizontal stripes which gave a subtle effect with the two similar shades.
I'm almost up to the shoulder shaping on my current sweater. I've been making notes as I go, as I am working from a pattern and adapting it from a cardigan to a sweater and probably making the neck of the front from another pattern. Both are patterned and my version is plain so I have to figure things out. Why do I do this to myself?
Bushlady, the knitting pattern is called English Diamond Quilting stitch in my pattern book, but English Lattice might be another name for it. Don't you just hate it when you have to undo what you've done? But that's part of the fun of knitting, I tell myself. :)
DeleteYou do what you do to challenge yourself and personalize the garment you are making. :) You don't want to get bored with knitting just another sweater, do you? :D
I love the color of your sweater and can't wait to see it when you are done with it. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debbie. In the pictures, the color changed when photographed in daylight vs. night, but it is a dark reddish purple; the label says "plum heather".
DeleteProud daughter had a safe flight home..
ReplyDeleteYour sweater is going to be so pretty.
Hope you have a good week.
Thank you, Judy. I hope you have a good week, yourself. :)
DeleteI can imagine saying goodbye to DD is always hard but it must be lovely to know you don't have long to wait until you see her again.
ReplyDeleteThe colour and pattern of the sweater is gorgeous. I have to be careful what patterns I choose to knit because of the counting. You can guarantee mid row somebody will ask me a question and I lose where I'm up to, although I do start to count out loud so they know I've heard them but I'm in mid flow. Doesn't always work though and there is quite a lot of sighing and unpicking going on at times! xx
Suzanne, yes, it was easier to part company with her knowing I'll be seeing her again at the end of the week. :)
DeletePatterns definitely take some concentration. One of my cousins used to make a chart on square ruled paper, where she marked down the rows and stitches, so she knew where she stopped (she worked as a cashier in her parents' restaurant, and knitted in between attending to customers). I write out the pattern on a note book and mark where I stopped. I can usually figure out where I was mid-row, but I can never remember what row I am on! I know I have a row counter, somewhere, and often find it when I am doing something else, but it's never with my knitting, so I just write it down in my note book.