She Knits By The Seashore

Not the Project I Thought

I finally chose a project for upcoming hospital knitting, when I'll be visiting a family member. It's not any of the projects I'd been considering.

During my cleaning and organizing, I saw two skeins of yarn that I purchased several years ago for a Christmas gift, boucle mohair from Farmhouse Yarns in Pecan Pie. When I first got them, I knit a swatch and discovered this yarn is not froggable. No ripping back if you don't like your sample (or make a mistake). Also, I discovered that a white thread runs through the yarn, forming the curls of the boucle, and it is noticeable in spots. I don't know why this white thread wasn't dyed to match the yarn itself?! Since I was feeling less confident about what I wanted to knit with it, and there were other things I wanted to finish, I put it away and moved on.

But now, the idea of a garter stitch scarf, where the yarn texture does the work and I won't have to follow charts where I can't concentrate on them, really appeals. I can crank out lots of rhythmic rows with lots of interruptions, and at the end, have a simple gift completed. I'll choose a more exciting, complex project after that.

The color is perfect for the recipient, and matches my cat Tim too. How are your summer projects going?

I had to pay up with a lot of treats after this photo was taken.

 

 

I discovered that a white thread runs through the yarn, forming the curls of the boucle, and it is noticeable in spots. I don't know why this white yarn wasn't dyed to match the yarn itself?!I discovered that a white thread runs through the yarn, forming the curls of the boucle, and it is noticeable in spots. I don't know why this white yarn wasn't dyed to match the yarn itself?!I discovered that a white thread runs through the yarn, forming the curls of the boucle, and it is noticeable in spots. I don't know why this white yarn wasn't dyed to match the yarn itself?!

Next Knitting Project?

I want to start something new. One of my family members will be in the hospital next month, and I'm looking for a project that is easily picked up and put down while I'm visiting.

Last month I took out the yarn (bought five years ago already!) and pattern for the Lace Ribbon Scarf. After three swatches with the substitute yarn, I finally got gauge, and started the actual pattern. You know what? Four rows in, and already know I'm not going to like it.

 

In the pattern photo, the original yarn (Classic Elite Alpaca Sox) has a fine texture to it, a more delicate look. My yarn does not. This is especially noticeable on the back, which is not reversible, and not pretty:

 

It looks a little too "homemade" to me, especially from the back side.

Nonreversible scarves didn't always bother me, but for some reason, they do now.

So, back to the queue and the stash to see what other possibilities there are. Annis and its larger version, the Buttercup Shawl, are possibilities, as is Rosewood. I keep going back and forth on the Sweet Lily shawl too. I want the project to be something I totally love to keep me motivated, and also something without any finish work, as I am still "finishing" the Vogue A-Line skirt embroidery and the little roses for the other scarf. 

I haven't ruled out a sweater, but I only have yarn for heavy winter sweaters, which I'm not ready to start just in case summer decides it is finally going to arrive. (Sixty degrees in June?! Really?!!!) And I still have the Noni purse patterns, but reading them is a little difficult even when I do have quiet to concentrate (nevermind a hospital!). So...I'll keep working on the little roses until I finally decide on something. Does this happen to you too? How do you decide what to knit, when you're not gift knitting and are making something for you? Maybe when I find just the right thing, I'll know for sure.

Last weekend, for our anniversary, Chris gave me an oriole feeder. I've never seen an oriole in real life, but, for some reason, they intrigue me, the way some people are captured by hummingbirds.

I haven't had any visitors yet, so today we're going to move the feeder to the backyard, away from the house, and see if that helps. This birdfeeding thing is pretty new to me; I've got a goldfinch feeder and have been putting out a few suet cakes too. We've seen some red-headed woodpeckers and bright red finches, along with a lot of grackles that I'd rather not feed. Do you feed the birds in your area? What visitors do you have? I'd love to hear about them!

Happy Summer

My temporary job at the state capitol finished last month, and I'm really missing it. The people were friendly, and the work was much more interesting than I thought. I'd love to find a full-time job there, since the publishing field continues to struggle. Dept. of Agriculture, DEEP, or Public Health especially interest me. But honestly, I'd be happy to find a job just about anywhere at this point. It's been so hard to live with life unsettled for so long.

Since I'm home again, I've been focusing on a lot of projects that had to wait for nicer weather. I did a big closet & cupboard clean-out and we had a tag sale. We've also been working on some yard projects, shoveling rock and replacing it with mulch, adding a few new bushes in both the front and back yards.

The before photo. Weeds are coming up through the rocks around the hydrangea bushes.

The after photo (opposite side of front steps), with mulch, and two new bushes added.

The back flower garden, with roses, peonies, and catmint in bloom.

As for knitting, I'm still making the little roses for the scarf in my previous post, and trying to decide what to knit next. What projects are you working on? Anything from the new Twist Collective or Knitty catch your eye?