A Couple FOs

I spent the last week at my mom's. She's doing really great and I could see her doing better and better daily. I knew she was feeling better on Friday, when I found her in the kitchen, mixing up a batch of cookies. No big deal, she said -- they're bar cookies! Today, she started cardiac rehab and also got to start driving again, so that really makes things more normal for her.

Being at Mom's gave me time to knit a couple small, much-needed projects.

First, Thor got his sweater.  Here he's sitting on my mom's lap -- much to my niece's chagrin, Mom is his very favorite person!

It's a little big. I think I may have to make him another one in a non-acrylic yarn that keeps its shape better. The patter is Little Penny and the yarn is Caron Simply Soft. I adapted the pattern to better fit Thor's neck, shoulders, and chest which are all just about the same size. The shawl-style collar helped with that. I also trimmed the leg holes with a couple rows of single crochet in navy blue. Details here.

And after washing a few dishes, I realized that Mom desperately needed new dishcloths.  She likes the Ballband Dishcloths I've made for her, but hers are in tatters, so I whipped out a new one Friday evening/Saturday morning.

Details here.

And -- the stealth project is blocking right now!!

What I've been up to

Sorry for the long silence!  Life has been both boring and hectic.  Boring because in winter, there is no way I can get a decent picture of my knitting anywhere in my house, so I feel dumb posting knitting pictures posts without photos.  Also, I've finished a major stealth knitting project.  Once it's washed, blocked, and mailed away, I'll show y'all some pictures (although they may very well be dark and gloomy, for the previously stated reason).

And hectic because I've been back and forth between my mom's house and mine (220 miles each way) several times in the last couple weeks.  On February 15, Mom had open-heart surgery to repair two leaky heart valves.  She had a triple bypass plus mitral valve repair in 2003, and really felt fine.  But she went to a new cardiologist (her original one died of cancer a while back, and she didn't like his replacement, so this is HIS replacement) who saw something wonky with her mitral and tricuspid valves.  He said she's in such good physical condition that they weren't bothering her yet, but would be.  He was afraid that the mitral valve might have to be replaced, but the surgeon was able to repair it instead.

Since her surgery in 2003, Mom has been going to the gym three times a week.  For the most part, her recovery this time has been much faster, and I think it's because she's in such good shape.  We heard from more than one person in the hospital that they really couldn't believe her age.  Her only problem this time is that her heart wants to beat really slowly.  It was very slow for the first few days after surgery, then sped up to a more normal rate (low to mid-60s).  But this week, it has slowed back down to around 50, causing her to be tired and have a horrible headache.  She may yet need to have a pacemaker, but that is very minor surgery compared to what she's had.

So -- I'm at Mom's right now, and will spend the week here.  After I get home, I'll block the stealth project, and show it to you.  And since I have knitting with me, maybe there will be pictures of that, too!

Catching up

Mom, my brother, my niece, and I spent the week between Christmas and New Year's in San Antonio, at my sister's.  I got to see my family and a few friends, and ate quite a lot of Tex-Mex. (Yes, we have Mexican restaurants in Iowa City.  Some of the owners are even Mexican-American.  No, it's not the same.)

On New Year's Even we went to Pico de Gallo for dinner.  They had decorated for the holidays with rows of silver papel picado alternating with strings of colored lights.  It was so amazingly sparkly -- I may have to do something like it next Christmas!

That's my niece, under the papel picado.

These pictures really don't do it justice -- too much sparkle!

They also had a beautiful Dia de los Muertos-themed tree:

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I almost called this post "Cat Tales," because I've got two great stories, including one with pictures!

Pictureless story:

One night last week, I woke up around 4:00 a.m., because I thought I heard kittens.  Once I was awake, I didn't hear kittens anymore, but I did realize that neither Harley or Alice were in bed with me.  Although Harley comes and goes, Alice always sleeps with me, usually in a manner that makes it impossible to move my legs.

So I went downstairs -- two floors -- and as I stepped into the living room, I saw Harley scurrying away from the laundry room door.  Alice loves the laundry room, but isn't allowed in it -- she has to back out from behind the washer and dryer, and I worry that something might happen.  She's pretty good about staying out, although she always watches me closely while I'm in there.  I guess she had slipped in as I finished up my laundry the evening before.  Sure enough, I opened the door and she darted out, and ran across the room to Harley, who rather frantically licked her head.  It was so cute -- Harley acts like she doesn't like Alice, or at least that she's too energetic for her, but apparently she had been worried!  In fact, we all went upstairs, and in the morning, instead of hanging out with me while I put on my makeup, Harley was sacked out on the guest room bed.  I think she had been sitting in front of the laundry room, worrying, all night!

With pictures:

Despite not being a kitten anymore, Alice still like to chase her own tail.  Here she is, chasing it across the back of the couch.

And finally -- not a story, just a picture.  I know a lot of you remember Simon, my sister's cat who lived with me in San Antonio (that's him as my avatar over on the right).  Simon is almost 18 years old, and has had a bad heart since he was about 5.  He's definitely become an old man kitty and spends a lot of his day asleep.  However, the smell of chicken still perks him up!  Here he is, trying to get a bite of my Taco Cabana chicken fajita bowl --

Maybe next time I'll have some knitting to show you....

FOs

One cowl done:

Pattern:  Pei
Yarn:  Brooklyn Tweed LOFT, in Postcard

This was a quick and easy knit, although when I finished, I realized my cast-on (the scalloped edge at the top of this photo) was a little tight.  The yarn is the new fingering-weight from Jared Flood/Brooklyn Tweed.  It's very traditional, maybe a little rough, but soaking and blocking really softened it up, and it's very comfy to wear. That's good, because I've got a couple more skeins that I plan on using for mittens!  It's also a little lighter in color than the picture, really a pale grey with a little lavender tinge, and tiny flecks of pink and blue.

34 tiny jars of cranberry-apricot chutney done:

For many years, I made lots of mini-loaves of Carrot Coconut Bread for co-workers and friends.  Two years ago, I became obsessed with Cranberry-Apricot Chutney, after buying a jar at Williams Sonoma.  I made several different recipes and finally combined what I liked into the recipe I use now.  I can it in 4-ounce jars; last year, I bought real canning supplies, and let me tell you, some of those extra things that seem unnecessary, like the canning rack with handles and the magnet-on-a-stick to retrieve lids, really come in handy!

Cranberry Apricot Chutney

Makes about 4 cups

1 bag fresh cranberries

1 cup dried apricots, diced

1½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

1/2 cup orange juice

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

Peel of 1 large orange, grated 

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root

Combine ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium high and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved, most of the berries have popped, and the mixture is very thick.

I canned this using 4-oz (1/2 cup) jars, processing for 10 minutes.  Ball has some good instructions on their website, if you haven't canned before. I would also recommend their book, Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.

Yarn, Yarn, and More Yarn

I need to post tonight so I'll have two posts this month!

Although I am knitting along on my second Entangled Stitches glove and Pei cowl, my yarn stash is, as usual, growing faster than my FOs!

About a week and a half ago, I saw (on Ravelry) the prototype for Boo Knits' Fragile Hearts, and knew that, not only did I need to knit it, but that I needed to knit it in the same yarn -- DyeForYarn's Tussah Silk Lace.  This yarn is made in Germany and until recently was sold only through their Etsy shop.  (Just last week, they opened a brick-and-mortar shop in Furth, Germany.   Weirdly enough, when I lived in Germany 30 years ago, it was near Furth -- our "big PX" was there!)

Anyway, I ordered a skein from their Etsy shop, and it came all the way from Germany in just 8 days!  I don't think I've ever knitted with 100% silk before.  Hopefully, I'll start this soon.  So pretty!

It's actually a little pinker than this....

Then, last Saturday, I made a quick trip from Mom's (where I spent Thanksgiving) to Champaign to have lunch with my cousin.  I could go there without hitting Needleworks, where I left with three skeins of worsted weight yarn.  I never buy worsted weight unless I have a specific purpose -- I don't know what came over me!

Two skeins of Berroco Lustra, a wool/tencel combination, in a color that's kind of red and a little orange that they call Capucine.  Maybe it's coral.  Maybe someday I'll get a better picture...

One skein of Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Candy Floss Mix, which I think is a fantastic color name!  The color is sort of a darker, pinker version of the LOFT yarn I'm using for my Pei.  I'm hoping one skein is enough for some sort of hat -- they only had one skein of this color left.

I'll try to post sooner next time and with better pictures.  I just hate trying to take pictures in the winter dark...

Well, hello there!

If I have any followers left -- I had a very busy October and am just now recovering from it!

Mostly, it was "work busy," since I was at two conferences.  There was knitting at both, but the second, in Baton Rouge, was best, at least in part because I got to see Steven!

I was working on a sock while I was there -- the Lenore socks I talked about in my last, long-ago post.  I worried that they might be too small, remember?  After I turned the heel on the first one, I decided to slip it on to see how it fit -- and it was huge!

Can you see?  They're practically baggy -- and they actually are baggy around the foot!  Steven admitted that when he saw them, before the heel turn even, that he thought they looked awfully big...

I love this pattern, but I'm thinking the I'm going to frog this and make something simpler -- ribs, maybe, with an eye of partridge heel....

I've also been working on the Sugared Violets shawl.  I have to admit that the sparkles make this yarn a little scratchy  But -- still very cute!  And not as eye-searingly bright as it might appear here....

My third currently-active project is (are?) my Entangled Stitches gloves.  I'm working on the index finger of the right glove right now, but what you see here is just the back of the hand.  There's a mis-crossed cable there, but we won't talk about that.

I am suddenly very take with several of Jared Flood's designs, so I ordered several skeins of his new LOFT yarn, from which I plan to make the Carlisle mittens and the Pei cowl.  I ordered three colors:  Postcard, Homemade Jam, and Stormcloud (top to bottom):

There's another skein of Postcard (a gorgeous pale grey with flecks of pink hidden in it), which Alice had some fun with in the few minutes between when I dropped in and when I realized it was gone.

I think it will be fine.  I hope so, since I plan to use one skein for Pei, and the other, with Homemade Jam, for the mittens.  I'm not sure what the Stormcloud will be -- when I ordered it, I thought I might use it for the mittens (with Postcard), but I think Homemade Jam is a better choice.

High on my queue is also Jared's Juneberry Triangle, which I plan on making from Madeline Tosh Vintage in Amber Trinket, which is an absolutely lovely color -- a mix of reds and ambers and bronzes, and a little darker than my picture.

However, I really need to get to working on the sweater I promised my niece for her miniature chihuahua, Thor, who, at 4 pounds, is half the size of the smallest cat I've ever had! Yes, a dog sweater.....

Baby Sophisticate #2, etc.

Baby Sophisticate #1 got its buttons and has been gifted.  I will say that the KnitPicks Swish really bled in the wash -- the water of the first wash was as red as the yarn!  I washed and rinsed it three times, and really should warn the recipients that it might still run a bit. However, I really like knitting with Swish and the washability makes it great for baby gifts.

Baby Sophisticate #2 is almost done -- it needs to have ends woven in, buttons added, and a wash.  This one is from Eco Alpaca, which is undyed, so it shouldn't run!  Of course, it's also not machine-washable and dryable, but the soon-to-be mother is a knitter so I think she'll appreciate it!

This yarn is just a little bit thinner than the KnitPick Swish, although both are considered worsted.  While knitting this, I also realized that I knit stockinette a lot tighter in the round.  This shouldn't be a surprise, since I tend to purl loosely.  For some reason, this problem seemed exacerbated in this yarn, so I went up a needle size for the sleeves in the round.

I'm about to leave for two conferences -- Midwest MLA in Indianapolis, followed just a few days later by South Central Chapter/MLA in Baton Rouge -- so I need travel knitting.  While I'm sure several of my WIPs would fill this bill, I have cast on for two new projects!

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Lenore socks have been in my queue for ages.  I even bought the yarn they were designed for (Blue Moon STR Lightweight in the Lenore colorway).

I'm glad I cast on for these before I left.  Socks tend to work best on my feet if I cast on between 62 and 66 stitches on size 1s.  The regular size Lenores are 60 stitch socks.  I didn't want to go up a needle size, since I don't like a floppy sock, so I first tried casting on the large (72 stitch) size on size 0s.  Whoa!  Talk about huge!  I got through most of the lace cuff and admitted this wasn't working.  So now I'm doing the regular size on 1s -- I think they'll be fine!  I really need to get over the idea that I need to knit big socks!

I also cast on Sugared Violets, a pretty little shawlette that will be perfect for knitting during meetings - the pattern is very straight-forward.

The yarn is Dream in Color Starry in Punky Fuchsia.  Starry is a sock-weight yarn shot through with silver fibers.  It's very pretty and not as flashy as it might sound!