Thawing Out

In 2019 I started what I thought was going to be a little project, maybe a throw blanket for watching movies on the couch ...  What ended up happening is I spent the year knitting a Queen size bedspread because, of course I did.  I don't think I've met a thing yet that part of me doesn't love to over-complicate.  The point was, to take a moment out of each day, and do something solely for myself.  The cool thing about using this idea to make a tangible item is that at the end of the year you actually have something to commemorate the process, and something to serve as a physical reminder to check-in, and look after yourself.  I can walk through a room now, and see the blanket folded up, or draped over the arm of something, or rumpled up on my bed, and it prompts me to ask myself if I've bothered to do anything just for me that day, just because it feels good to do it, and for no other practical reason whatsoever.  Could I have achieved the same thing with something a bit smaller?  Perhaps, but I'm not actually sure about that.  I'm not really into hints, and subtleties.  I like BIG signs; things that are unavoidable; things with impact, so maybe this did need to be the behemoth that it's turned out to be.  

Can I Take Your Temperature?

'Cause you're lookin' HOT today!

I don't know about you guys, but my Summer got off to a rocky start, miraculously however, the temperature blanket is still in full swing.  I think I've been clutching it like a life-ring; as if getting each day's color on it will bring some semblance of order to chaos, and do a minor task like hold the entire universe together ... Or something.

In this moment it feels pretty marvelous to be able to come up for air after losing the larger portion of both April and May flattened by back-to-back viruses (or a cold + relapse, or some damn thing) which unceremoniously rolled into a month-long Facebook fast (that actually feels a m a z i n g, to be honest), with a good old fashioned tech flub thrown in for good measure.  Incidentally, did you know that when you upgrade your iPhone, you have to flip the little "messages" toggle to the "off" position in settings so that your new iMessages aren't sent to your old phone that's lying dead in a desk drawer for a month?  Oh, it's just me who had to Google that?  Super.  I'm now officially time-to-have-kids-so-they-can-explain-your-own-tech-to-you years old.

What's so irritating is that I thought I had everything all set up, but when I signed into a streaming app to try out a little adapter (the third one that didn't work because it didn't have audio capabilities like the description SAID it would!) for my clock-radio that keeps my office-space full of fresh tunes ... The one I refuse to junk simply because newer models are available--

Do you remember when people would keep their stereos, and all sorts of sound equipment for, like, decades?  Or even when parents would give their kids an old set, and all you had to do was upgrade the speakers if you wanted it to bump with a little more bass than the Perry Como records used to in your living room?  I miss that.  I also only buy things I really like, and refuse to throw them out by virtue of companies that make billions of dollars per year telling me I should buy the next new thing.  It doubly grinds my gears when they stop selling the parts, and adapters that let you fiddle with your gadgets, and make them work with newer components - there was an entire industry, and chains of stores dedicated to this very thing for the majority of my life, and now we're all just supposed to let our perfectly functioning small appliances wash up on some beach kids are trying to play on because Some Company decided to change the shape of the ports on their devices?  That's a negative, Ghost Rider.

End. Of. Digression.

Anyway, when you log into an app from an old device (and you haven't toggled your messages to "off") you run the risk of having all of your iMessages moving forward, rerouted back to that phone.  Allegedly, there was a notice that was supposed to accompany this switch-a-roo, but I don't remember such a thing ... Which means, I either swatted it away (because who just reads EVERY notice on their smartphone anyway?) or this all happened during a fever-dream, and I never noticed it.  These are both equally likely to have happened.

At any rate, if it's possible to simultaneously exist in a state of refreshed + flustered I think that's my current location.  And really, my mellow is only being harshed because I don't want folks to be thinking I'm out here just giving them the cold shoulder ... I mean, I'm pretty aloof as it is, but that's a new level (even for me)!

The good news is, with me finally mending up, and things being so quiet around here, I've been able to explore some ideas, and finish some old projects.  So, if that's the sort of thing you're into, and hanging around here for, look for some new to-do's, how-to's, and diy's coming a little later.  Also, if you haven't heard from your people in a while, charge up, and check any devices rattling around an old junk drawer just in case! 

xoxo

Purple Rain

 

I like the idea of spending a little time each day doing something for myself that will result in an actual tangible outcome, so when the idea of making a temperature blanket found me I was pretty well sold on the idea from the start.  As 2018 wrapped up, and projects wound down I had begun negotiations with myself not to start any new, long, and drawn out activities for the upcoming year ... So, naturally, that's exactly what I did!  For the last couple of years, I'd been toying with the idea of knitting a "sky scarf," where you look out the window and whatever color the sky is at that moment of each day, that's the color you use to knit a row of your project, but this being the PNW, and all, I figured if I wanted a grey scarf with little bits of blue in it here, and there I could just make that in a weekend, and not drag it out for an entire year.  I'd also kicked around thoughts about the Doctor Who scarf, but does anyone really need a twelve foot long scarf?  Answer: Yes (but I just wasn't feeling it this time around).  I needed something easy, with enough color variation to be exciting to me, and something that wouldn't take up too much of my time, and end up feeling burdensome.

Enter the temperature blanket. 

Each day this year I'll be recording the temperature for my location, and knitting the corresponding
color into my blanket.  First, I needed to make my own temperature gauge, since the ones I'd found floating around the interwebs had numbers on them I see in these parts only a few times per decade, and I want to make a blanket that has more than three and a half colors in it.  Shrinking my color palette down to nine colors, and adjusting the numbers to reflect temperatures (in Fahrenheit) that are more common to my area was a crucial step.  Since my climate is so temperate, I'll also be recording the year's lowest lows to its highest highs transitioning on days when the temperatures stay the same both night, and day.  Not only will this make a more interesting blanket, and ensure the use of all of my colors, but the finished piece will depict a broader summary of the year's fluctuations.  To me, recording just the highs would be like telling a partial story.  Next,  all I had to do was figure out what on earth I was going to make.

Visions of chevron, and cabled lap blankets danced in my head, but I didn't want to have to learn something new for this, especially if it was going to be an everyday sort of thing, and since I began planning this around December 28th, I didn't feel I had enough time to perfect a new technique.  Also, this project is supposed to be relaxing and result in a gift for myself ... It's not going to feel like much of a present if I'm giving myself a headache every day for a year trudging through difficult patterns.

Then I found this. 

In a brief yet informative post, Staci walks us through everything we need to know about knitting a scrappy bedspread.  Bingo!  "I mean, why knit a little throw blanket, when you could knit an entire queen size bedspread?" I said to myself as I, once again, over-complicated something I'd been attempting to simplify, but when I saw her adaptation of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Traveler's Life Afghan pattern resulted in 620 rows of stitches, I knew I was barking up the right tree.  I wanted to knit a garter stitch piece that could accommodate my desire for knitting two rows per day which will give the blanket a solid cord of color for each day on one side resulting in clean, sharp stripes, and create a bit of a gradient effect on the other side.  In the end, mine will come out at 730 rows, which will probably create enough fabric to pull over my pillows and create a nice, old fashioned crease of a smartly made bed underneath them, but we shall see.  Like Staci, and Stephanie I'll also be using the color changes as a further design element by clipping my yarn free from its skein at the completion of every row to create fringe up both sides of the blanket as I go instead of having to add it later.  Hopefully, tying them off at 5 strand increments should work out alright (stay tuned).

If you're interested in joining in, it's not too late!  

You can use my color / temperature chart, make your own, or find something else online.  Pinterest, of course, is loaded with ideas, and if you're not into the Care Bear Stare of a color palette I've created, there are folks who've made some pretty slick tonal combinations that elevate the look of the entire project I think, and give it a little more polish, and make it feel a little more grown up (that I wouldn't mind trying myself at another time).  Anyway, if you do want to take the leap, sort your yarn out, and you can find a back log of daily temperatures HERE.  Just click on your region, and go to the light blue "NOWData" tab to narrow down your selection even further.  Once you do, you can then select the dates you wish to view, et voilà, all of the daily highs and lows!

The Knitty Gritty:
Needles - Addi 40" Circular size: US 9 (5.5 mm)
Pattern - Staci Perry's adaptation of The Traveler's Life Afghan by, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Yarn - Red Heart Super Saver Yarn (It's cheap, durable, and available in a wide variety of colors)

xoxo

Wrappin' it up!

Here we are at the end of June, and I thought we'd go out with a freebie.  I've worked up an easy to follow set of instructions for a somewhat quick project, and thought I'd share.  This is a perfect Beginner pattern to learn, and even better for the yet-to-begin-ner, so if you've been too timid to give knitting a try grab some needles, and let's go!

We're going to be making, what I call, the Pouch Hat since it looks a little like a sack to stow some treasures in.  It's a bit of a throw back to 90's fashion - Grunge, but cleaned up!  While I know not everyone shares my obsessive love of floral dresses over long sleeved t-shirts, clunky boots, and vulgar amounts of flannel, this hat easily coexists with trendier pieces in even the most updated wardrobe ... and is soon to be my newest favorite!

Yarn: Cherrycola by Red Heart

Materials:
Knitting needles size 9 (5.5 mm)
Yarn used in photo: (1 skein per hat)
Color: Marrakesh by Red Heart
Color: Oatmeal by Vanna's Choice for Lion Brand
Large-Eye Blunt End Needles 6-Pack

Cast on 84 stitches.

Work entire piece in Garter stitch (knit every row) until it measures 12.5" from needle to cast-on edge. 

Bind off. 

Next cut your yarn leaving a long enough tail to sew up your seam once you've folded your work in half with the wrong sides facing each other.  (How can you tell if it's the right or wrong side?  Look at your cast-on row, the right side should lay nicely with your other rows in a tight little twist.  The wrong side is "loopy" looking.)

Sew your seam, but reverse it for approximately the last 3" of your piece by turning your newly formed tube right side out, and finishing the seam from this side.  This will give you a finished looking cuff when you fold it up.

For the cord to cinch your hat, crochet a single chain, or create a single row of successive slip knots using your fingers.  The length depends on how large you want your bow to be, but a good starting point is approximately 24.5". 

Thread the tail of your cord through your large-eye blunt needle.  *Measuring down 2" from the bind-off end of your hat begin feeding your cord through the hat, skipping over 3 or 4 stitches.  I rock my bow to the side, so I didn't begin feeding my cord through the dead center front of my hat.  Using your seam as the center back guide to your hat, measure in about 5" and begin feeding your cord. 

*The cord for the oatmeal colored hat was started 1.5" down from the bind-off edge of the hat.

Weave in your yarn ends, and voila!  You've got a new hat!

Sweater Song

Two-ish weeks in, and here's what we've got ... me standing on a coffee table, oh yeah and a nearly finished sweater, the back view anyway.  So I'm following the Lionbrand pattern #L0613, if you're a knitter or interested in following along or trying it out yourself.  It's slated to be knit with wool yarn, which totally was not going to work for me, instead I swapped it out for 9 skeins of this (color: oatmeal) which turned out to be a perfect trade off gauge wise. 

I'm not exactly sure why I fell in love with this pattern, or wanted it to be my first sweater, but there was just something about it that made it a bit timeless to me anyway - a little bit now, a little bit '70s, a little kimono-ish like a shrunken down Poiret opera coat all in one, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  And I'm not disappointed I did, I've learned a lot of things I didn't know before to tuck into my repertoire so I can move on to making garments of my own design, and that's never a bad thing!

The sweater bug first bit me back in 2009 when this was gracing news stands everywhere I looked.  You'll notice what I'm knitting now is nothing like it, BUT it is a sweater, and once I'm finished I think I'll be able to step it up and figure out how to create my very own variation of that hot-pink dream come true!  We'll see, but before that day comes I've got one collar, and two front ribbed bands to finish on this guy ... stay tuned!

What Are You Doing?

I'm knitting a sweater.  Best line from a mediocre film with great dancing, and terrible writing
otherwise known as Center Stage.  Anyway it's what I'm doing right now ... or attempting, at least. 

This is my first ever sweater, from a real life pattern, not just something I've made up in my head and try to force into existence even though I don't know what I'm doing.  I thought I'd try one pattern before going and doing all that this time.  Day one (Monday) I was already confused by the pattern instructions and went ahead emailing the company for clarification after googling around like a maniac unable to find an answer.  The response I received was very cordial, but to cut to the chase, it basically told me to read the front page of the instructions, and I'd find my answer leaving me shocked and amazed that I had just, in fact, asked the dumbest question ever.  A pretty strong statement considering I don't believe ANY question is stupid ... that is, unless the answer can be found on the FIRST page of the instruction sheet, and you just emailed the company for an in-depth explanation that, you guessed it, is perfectly illustrated ON THE FRONT PAGE of the pattern instructions. 

If nothing else I gave myself a good laugh, and I'd like to imagine the customer service rep responsible for emailing the response to me won some kind of office pool for dumbest question ever answered and she was, in turn, the recipient of a free round of drinks after work.  At least that's how it goes in my head. 

By day two the back panel was finished ... I get a little obsessive like that when I start something new.  Wednesday I found myself resting what is best described as my knitting "claw" ... I couldn't hold out for a classic seventh day rest, but I'm convinced God was never a knitter, however late in the evening I found myself casting on 50 new stitches to start one of the front panels.  I know, I know, I'm taking it easy this time though.  I figure by the time you have to drag out the minty scented sports cream for your knuckles you're over doing it just a bit!

So far so good though, I'm a bit excited, maybe a little too excited for something the color of oatmeal, but I believe there's no such thing as boring neutrals, only boring people.  Hopefully I still believe that when this is finished!

xoxo 

Good Morning!

I may be the only person on Earth who wakes up with a hot cup of decaf ... (true!) ever since slaying
the caffeine dragon about two years ago, and in doing so, once the detox ran its course, I realized I never really drank coffee for its stimulating effects. I love the taste of it, and the more I pay attention to the things I do, I've come to see I'm a creature of all things comfort. Good food, good drink, music, textures, lighting ... what can I say? I like to be cozy.

I Told Myself I Wouldn't ...

... start a new knitting project for a while, but such is the life of a pie-crust promise (thanks Ms. Poppins!) - easily made / easily broken. So here I am on a moody, rainy day several rows deep in the basic of basic knitting patterns (brought to us by Her Highness), but I'm still a novice, and I've never worked from a pattern before and could use the practice at figuring out the lingo.

So far so good. I've only had to start over twice, but in my defense I couldn't decide if I wanted to go the full 32 stitches or shrink it to 30 stitches across. I know, I know ... two whole stitches, does it really matter? And the answer? I started over twice, fill in the blanks! Haha.
;-)