Wednesday, August 25, 2010

FO 1-6 for the big 6-0

August 29th, 2010 is my Mama's 60th birthday.  I don't think she'd mind me announcing it to the world, because she is almost as proud of herself as I am for being as happy and healthy and vital a 60 year old as the world has seen.  I could write a million words about how inspiring, beautiful, beloved, and heroic my mother is and still not scratch the surface.  She has come through her life's (far too many) challenges with such grace, positivity, and goodness, I aspire to walk in her intrepid footsteps every day.  And I can't speak about her fierce devotion to my well-being without mentioning that she gave me life twice, first when I was born almost 34 years ago, and again five and a half years ago when she gave me most of her liver for my lifesaving transplant.  My own sweet Mama.

And for her birthday, I am sending her (among other things) a cozy neckwarmer that looks like this:
 
It's just a little something, but I hope it'll feel like a hug on those chilly nights when she's out walking my brother-dog, Grayson.

The info:
Fidget for my Mama
Pattern: Fidget, by Robin Dodge
Yarn: Fiesta Boomerang
Colorway: Madrid
Yardage: 150

2010 so far:
Finished Objects: 16
Yards knit: 4000

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Time has flown (FO# 15)

Wow, I never posted after my last FO!  Possibly because it's a hat, and it's been so darn hot that the thought of a hat hasn't crossed my mind since I bound off the last stitch.  But it exists, and it's hardly fair to ignore the poor thing.
As per usual, it's a crummy PhotoBooth pic, and you can't see how beautiful the yarn is.  It's from Gaslight Dyeworks, one of my favorite indies, and I'd had it in the stash for a while, just waiting for the right kind of project, and I do think I found it in this cozy, lightweight hat for autumn.  This was my beach-knitting project for this year's family vacation to Ocean City, MD.  It was simple enough to knit while watching my nieces play in the surf without paying it a whole lot of attention, and despite the fact that my hyper-sensitivity to the sun kept me from spending as much time on the beach as I'd have liked, I still managed to finish all but the last few rounds by the time I got home.

My other vacation knits remain unfinished.  I knit nearly the whole leg of a Pomatomus sock out of one of my new favorite yarns, Sweet Georgia Superwash Sock, before noticing a dropped stitch a good 2.5" back, and have been so bummed at the thought of frogging it that it's just been sulking on the end table, waiting for a miraculous fix-by-fairies. 

I knit the back of my Concur cardigan, but kind of lost steam on that one, and have put it aside for the moment.  Photos to come of that one when I return to it...


Since I got home I have been doing sporadic work on the Traveling Sweater whenever the weather has been cool enough to allow the lap-full of wool, and on a super-fun project that looks a little something like this:
More to come on that cutie soon...

As summer comes to an end, I am thrilled to look at my stash of wooly scrumptiousness and imagine crisp days and cool evenings spent creating beautiful, useful knits for myself and my loves.  I'm a little worried that I will have less time to knit this coming school year, as I'll be taking on some greater responsibilities at work while also just teaching more hours per week, but that's all positive, so I can't be too upset.  Plus, I've renewed my commitment to practicing yoga, which means a few less knitting hours per week, but more stretching and breathing to make everything else better.  I think I tend to make resolutions like this at the end of summer ("This is the year I'm going to be more organized! Read all my assigned chapters on time!  Finish papers before the middle of the night before they're due!") and now that I'm teaching instead of student-ing, it's no different.  The promise of unused school supplies always sparks my optimism.

Anyway, in the meantime, here's the detailios on the hat:
Ocean City Slouch
Pattern: Pinstripe Slouch Hat by Veronik Avery, from her lovely book Knitting 24/7
Yarn: Gaslight Dyeworks Superwash Fingering
Colorway: Bad Moon Rising
Yardage: around 300?

2010 so far:
FOs: 15

Yards knit: 3850