It's been a week with lots of variety in the weather, from snow last week to some sunny days this week, with wind and rain and everything inbetween. On Mon. I resurrected my chaise lounge and spent my first lazy afternoon outside, knitting and listening to an Audible book, enjoying it all immensely. Yesterday I put the canvas roof back on the gazebo. It's still not safe for planting flowers this far north, the patio needs a good sweep and wash, and the pool liner has a hole that needs repair, but I'm making little steps towards summer outdoor living. Summer is so short here that each nice day is all the more valuable to us.
The week has gone by quickly, including the awards ceremony for my husband's bocce league (his team won!), a day of volunteering to help make crostilli (an Italian deep fried pastry dusted with icing sugar) for the community ethnic festival, the annual Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation dinner (retirees invited and served first), and an afternoon at the library with Bub. He picked a book in which Franklin the turtle plays soccer, and I was delighted to find the new Sally Melville book which she cowrote with her daughter. The chapter on Fit and Flatter is excellent with detailed info on how to determine the best length for fitted and unfitted sweaters for your height, and other measurements you should take. There is a nice assortment of designs for all ages and knitting abilities, some classic and some more contemporary. I may need to have my own copy of this one.
I've finished both pair of socks that I mentioned last post, the Stretch and the Noro. The Noro yarn did bloom with machine washing and drying and feels much better now. The socks are not identical twins, hardly even fraternal, maybe more like cousins, but I love their uniqueness.
I also finished my hemp Everlasting Bagstopper. Instead of purchasing something for the cord which allows you to draw the bag into itself for stowing, I made a twisted cord from the yarn itself. I made the grosgrain ribbon handles extra long so I can wear the bag across the body in case it gets stuffed full and heavy. I've been wanting a hemp bag ever since I tried the pattern first with dishcloth cotton. I like both versions, but this one is lighter and draws up into a smaller pouch for having on hand.
Inbetween I've made some more octagons for the stashbuster afghan. The original pattern used twelve different colors. I have four that I want to use up. The pattern is comprised of twelve octagons, so I will have three in each of the colors, and each will use a different color for the small center medallion. No two octagons will be identical. I have six octagons finished now, half way there. But there will also be six diamonds to fill in the spaces and an edging in another colour. I'm thinking some very pale gray from the stash. The octagons are fun to make. You use a circular needle, start with the maximum number of stitches and the rows get shorter as you work to the middle. There's a marker between each of the sides, so all decreases are made immediately after a marker with no counting required. Easy enough for carry around knitting.
So, to paraphrase Lloyd Robertson, that's the kind of a week it's been.
We're having strange summer weather ourselves, minus the snow! And that makes every sunny and pleasantly warm day so much more precious. Your stashbuster afghan looks interesting and I LOVE, LOVE the socks.
Posted by: Carol | June 01, 2009 at 04:32 PM
Warm spring weather has been mostly non-existent here on Georgian Bay. Most discouraging. I love your bag. Are those beads I see?
Posted by: Brenda | June 01, 2009 at 05:24 PM