Leaping for Joy

Okay, maybe that's overstating it but I couldn't resist the play on words. After all the opportunity only comes around once every four years.

I do have a lot to be happy about, though. For instance, I have found an attractive and practical way to organize some of my stash. Before my daughter, Jessica, moved back home last month I was using the dresser in her old room to store the part of my stash that wouldn't fit into the old hope chest in the living room. (Yes, a hope chest and a dresser full of yarn--do you understand now why I am on a yarn diet?) When I cleared out the dresser for her use I had nowhere to put my yarn and just piled the bags in a corner of the living room--not exactly attractive or practical. Last week, however, I purchased five cloth-lined wicker baskets to sit under the tables in the living room, one for sock yarn, one for shawl yarn, and one for sweater yarn.

Another, which sits close to my knitting corner, holds my current projects, while still another contains needles, hooks, manuals, and other knitting tools.

I tend to let my knitting projects take over the living room so it feels great to finally have a place for everything and everything in its place.

Another reason I am feeling happy is that at last I have some finished objects to show off!

First up is a pair of socks for my mother:

I'd started knitting them for myself but I didn't like the way the pattern was turning out. She said she'd gladly take them off my hands...er, feet. The yarn is DGB "Confetti".

Next, the completed pair of Barcelona Socks:

I absolutely loved knitting these socks and plan to make them again someday in a plainer yarn so that the pattern really shows off. Considering how seldom I make anything twice, that's really saying something.

And, finally, I present Rusted Root:

This sweater knit up pretty quickly--that is, when I actually worked on it! I definitely like the finished result, even though I had a couple of issues with the pattern. First, if you are expected to do K2, P1 rib, the number of stitches you are knitting should be divisible by 3. If it's not, there should be instructions to increase or decrease the stitches accordingly (fortunately, I did the math before I started ribbing). Second, I wrestled with the instructions for working the waist shaping. It wasn't that I didn't understand them, I just wasn't sure I agreed with the technique, which was to decrease one stitch on each side of the bodice every three rows, five times. I am used to seeing waist increases and decreases worked in pairs on either side of the bodice over a greater number of rows, rather than just on the back portion in such a concentrated area. In the end I gave in and did as the pattern instructed (except I added two more decreases) but if I was to make this sweater again (which is unlikely--see above) I would probably work the decreases more traditionally.

Yesterday I really pushed to get Rusted Root finished because tomorrow I am casting on for not one, but two knitalongs (am I crazy or what?). The first is a pair of socks for the March Sockdown project for the Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry. The second is The Sweet Sheep's March Sweater Madness. All I know right now is that the project uses worsted weight yarn and is knit from the top down. We get to choose from three patterns, to be revealed tomorrow. Stay tuned for details--it promises to be an interesting month!

Sounds Logical

I'm a logical knitter. No surprise there. What kind of knitter are you? Take the test and find out!

Can it really be almost two weeks since I've blogged? You'd think I'd have a FO or two to show for my time but the truth is that I have been rather unfocused lately, resulting in a number of half-finished projects. Case in point, one half of a pair of Barcelona Socks:

For obvious reasons, I've nicknamed this sock Gaudy Gaudi but even though it's pretty lively I like how it turned out. Once I got the gist of the leg chart, I found this sock a joy to knit. The colourful yarn helped to brighten up some grey, gloomy days, while the everchanging stitch patterns (one each for the cuff, leg, heel, and foot) held my interest and prevented me from getting bored.

As is my habit, in an attempt to ward off the dreaded SSS, I immediately cast on the second sock but, alas, I stumbled upon Rusted Root and fell hard...

I am knitting this sweater out of Cascade "Sierra", colour 42, (from my stash, no less). It is knit in the round from the top down and, as you can see, I have made good progress since beginning it about a week ago.

In addition to these projects, I have also been working on the Graphic Hoodie, the M-I-L socks, and a pair of plain socks. In short, my knitting is not suffering from a lack of time, just a lack of fidelity. Note: I am a logical knitter. Nobody said anything about being loyal.

Barcelona Revisited

While browsing Ravelry yesterday afternoon I followed a link to Mona Schmidt's blog and found a reference to Barcelona Socks, aka November Mystery Socks. Mona designed this pattern for the Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry but also posted each of the four clues on her blog throughout last November. The socks, she explained, were inspired by the architecture of Antoni Gaudi, and the accompanying photographs instantly brought back memories of my September trip to Barcelona. I decided on the spot to knit the socks, sight unseen.

Upon further investigation I learned that Mona recommended using a solid or semi-solid yarn. I was disappointed because I didn't have any solid yarn on hand that I thought would reflect the bright colours often found in Gaudi's work. However, when I checked out the Barcelona Sock gallery on Ravelry I discovered that Mona had ignored her own advice and had knit her pair with a bright, multicoloured yarn! Well, I thought, if the designer, herself, can do it, why can't I? My skein of Sunshine Yarn's "Field of Flowers" immediately came to mind.

A look through my Barcelona souvenir book confirmed that the yarn colours would not only echo some of those used in Gaudi's works, they would also reflect the many, varied shades of tropical birds and flowers found in the stalls along Las Ramblas, a popular tourist attraction in Barcleona's Old Quarter. The yarn also brought some more personal experiences to mind, like posing with this brightly-coloured "living statue"

and photographing this eye-catching candy display in the marketplace.

My philosophy is usually "less is more" so I may find that between the the crayon colours (they're much brighter in real life) and mulitiple stitch patterns these socks have a bit too much going on.

On the other hand, they will be a wonderful reminder of the three action-packed days we spent in Barcelona, trying to take in all of the sights and sounds of this beautiful city.

Winter Fun

What a great weekend! On Friday night my sister, Anna-Marie, my brother-in-law, Doug, and Cameron and I headed up to Clinton, BC to visit my parents. Since we've had so much snow lately we were keeping an eye on the weather reports and traffic cameras, and in the end decided it was safe to go. Of course, as we all know, weather reports can not be entirely depended on and we discovered this for ourselves when we drove straight into a major snowfall about 55 km into our journey. The dilemna: Do we turn around and go back through the snowstorm or keep on driving, hoping for better weather up ahead?

We decided to keep on driving, which turned out to be a good choice. We soon encountered clear skies and dry roads, which we enjoyed most the rest of the way there. Despite driving through a few more snowshowers, we safely arrived at our destination, welcomed by the smell of fresh cinnamon buns.

Although some light snow fell overnight, the next day was cold but only slightly overcast.

I made sure to get a photo of my Cabled Yoke Pullover

Bundled up in our warmest winter clothing, we drove 17 km to the site of our vacation property. With their blanket of snow, the cabins and grounds and surrounding views look vastly different than they do the rest of the year. It is fun to walk around the yard, noting the tracks of various animals that pass through there in our absence.

Me, Cameron, Anna-Marie, and Doug

My parents, Gene and Zee

As lunchtime was quickly approaching we didn't linger there long. We had big plans--it was off to the lake to build a fire and have a weiner roast! What a hoot to build a fire on the lake and eat hotdogs in sub-zero temperatures. You can't imagine how good they tasted!

The rest of the weekend passed quickly, with more good food, good wine, and good company. The drive home was beautiful but uneventful, as we enjoyed snowy scenes but bare roads the entire way. As I write this a few snowflakes have begun to fall but a warming trend is predicted for the remainder of the week. I'll be sad to see the snow disappear but will have this weekend of winter fun to remember when our typical west coast drizzle returns in full force.