MaggieBKnits

Yes, another Very Warm Hat . In the interest of full disclosure, I actually started this one in November. The plan was to send it to my oldest son, in time for him to wear it in Alaska.  (He rarely asks for things. He mentioned that "that hat you made for dad... and for Mark... sure would be useful."  Siren call for a knitter!!  Plus, seriously, woman, you haven't made one for him yet???).  ** see very end for how this turned out... We won't think about the fact that son #3 is currently living in the Boston area and could probably use one, also. Especially if I made it mildly supportive of the Yankees (which might cause my knitting needles, or at least my head, to explode.  Sigh. The things we do as moms).  He loves to flaunt his Yankee-fan-dom in the face of all those Red Sox fans.  Whatever.  Back to the present hat. Not long after picking up stitches to knit the other direction What with some other very demanding an...

I have been traveling, which should have provided for extra knitting time. It did, and then it didn't. I went to Colorado for my (USAFA) son's Parents Weekend, and the weather was mostly 89 or so each day. Dry or not, it wasn't the weather to knit (outside) on pretty much anything.  I tried, really I did.  The cadet at the football game was like, "What is that??" about the knitting project-small lace shawl- I was bringing into the game.  But it was too dad-blamed hot, I just couldn't do it.  (Besides I wanted to see my handsome boy) Luckily, I had a four hour flight *to* Colorado, and I got a ton done on my Pelerine: when I landed I only had a third of the bottom edge left to cast off. So--  I finished my Pelerine on Thursday, 31 August!!  Yay! Casting off on the airplane... Laid out to dry (pseudo-blocking) on the hotel floor Modeled by my daughter OK, so I have no idea if that video will play.  Apparently I can still be ya...

What have I been doing? Well, I have been knitting. That is my Pelerine. It doesn't look dramatically different, but in a relaxed state it is 19" long now (including the neckline, but not along the line of increases-- which is longer) so I am making good progress.   I worked on it some while I was here: Any guesses? That is the St. Lawrence River in the background. The post that is decorated to look like a Canadian Mountie is a hint, as is the border collie.   I went to the Kingston Sheepdog Trials . Oh my goodness what a time I had!  Between good friends, great food (have any of you been to Kingston?) I am so going back. First of all, there is water everywhere (or almost so). View of Kingston, Ontario from Fort Henry The food we ate was fabulous. We ate dinner at  Wooden Heads ,  Olivea , and  Chez Piggy , and they were all excellent meals.  The good company was lovely, as well.  This was a fun dive...

Hi. Yup, me again. Really? What is going on here, Maggie? Three posts in as many days? Well. It might have something to do with the fact my husband and two of my children (aged 18 son, aged 16 daughter- yep- the one who just spent a month off the grid backpacking in Wyoming, that one)-- anyway, that those three are in Guatemala City on a missions trip. Now, mostly this is great: I can knit freely; fling my closet contents all over the place to figure out what really needs to be in there, or not; spread my stash around without fear of that face my husband gets when he sees its extent; overdose on Fixer Upper (my secret obsession); read without that nagging sense of the mess waiting for me in the kitchen/laundry room/refrigerator-- whatever. But also, since this town is pretty quiet in the summer, I can get wicked bored  ... OK, maybe lonely-- perhaps that is why my dog dragged cardboard under the dining room table to gnaw on-- boredom/loneliness?  She's an Australian Sh...

A shout out to all you experienced lace-in-the-round Pelerine knitters-- just exactly how many wheels of unspun Icelandic yarn did you use in your Pelerine, and how long did it wind up being? Do you like the length? Where does it hit when you wear it (or when whoever you knit it for wears it)?  And is that the straight edge or the pointed corner? Did it grow appreciably when you blocked it? I feel like I should already know the answers to some, at least, of these questions (eg- yes of course it grew, Maggie--! It is lace, after all) but I guess I am interested in some exactness. See, I have been thinking-- First ---the lace Pelerine has 4 lines of increase-- some of the longer ones I see in photos seem to be maybe just a bit too full.  It could be the photo.... The garter version has only 3 lines of increase-- way less full- and I find that desirable.  The less fullness I mean. So, this past alternate row I skipped the increases. I think I will start skipping the...

Oh, the joys of unlimited knitting that Camp affords... and the woes of massively limited knitting once one returns to the daily routine! My Pelerine has advanced, but no, it is not finished.  I keep measuring it, like it will have miraculously grown overnight after only one or two rounds knitted the day prior.  I think this is how I occasionally wind up with a too-short sweater/sleeve/mitten/scarf/what-have-you. At Camp, Janine had a wonderful gauge measurer that prevented the dreaded if-I-stretch-it-a-bit-the-gauge-will-be-what-I-want-it-to-be syndrome.  (I need this tool.) My variation is, if I keep measuring and stretching it, it will be the length I want it to be. Sadly, this never works, but my self-deception grows as my desire to finish a project climbs.  Perhaps because, with lace, stretching is what will happen to the object, eventually, when it is blocked and the lace opens up.  Hm, is this why I love lace so much?? Here is Miss Pelerine, relax...

First, an apology. I have been so consumed with other things (e.g., a son graduating from West Point USMA , another son graduating from high school, another son home for only a couple weeks, and launching my daughter to a month long trek at NOLS )  (And let me just say, sending my 16 year old daughter across the country by herself, to spend a month in the Wyoming mountains hauling everything on her back-- well, it was rather emotionally wrenching.  One would think it would call for voluminous knitting, perhaps...) And there was some knitting- I progressed on several things but this post is going to have to restrict itself to the past long weekend, which I spent at Meg Swansen's Knitting Camp (technically Retreat 2.75). As always, Camp went way too fast-- and it boggles my mind trying to determine just how to explain and describe the experience.  Here is one thought, inspired by a fellow knitter: imagine you have an interest about which you are passionate, or find ext...