Almost There

I blame it on the weather.  Things were off to a slow start this year.  Late winter, slow spring.  And so it is with my Lacey Tee. This  fast  slow  knit  is still on my needles.  Almost, but not quite done.

Last night, side tracked from time to time by the Blue Jays first loss in  -what was it -  8 games, I managed to trim the neck and one sleeve.

 

 Sleeve number two will happen tonight.

Tomorrow I hope to wear this late comer.    I have knitters coming to visit tomorrow.  We are going to do what kitters do best.  Eat, knit and yarn shop.  It sure would be nice to have a new hand knit to wear.  Pressusre's on. 

In the mean time, I will distract you from my late Tee  with scenes from yesterday's drive home from knit group.  These pics say it all abou the area in which I live. See the orchard?  See the mountain with the ski trails visible?  See  Georgian Bay?  

 

Across the road, Apple orchards as far as the eye can see - then Georgian Bay.

Soul satisfying scenery I say.

Thursdays Are For Knit Group

Who thinks knitting is a winter sport?  Today, a sunny,  warm, bright day and knitting ruled.

Ingrid was back from visiting her guy in Victoria with another 'pretty in purple'  piece. 

This shawl she says was made by casting on all the required stitches, increasing one stitch each row on  one end, while at the same time casting off one stitch on the opposite end.  Clever.

Someone else wearing 'clever' today was Sandy.  This is the  linen piece she made last spring.  Two rectangles with  built-in cap sleeves.  The front, with the twist, is a longer rectangle than the back in order to accommodate that twist.  Clever too.

 
Someone knows that Jean loves to spin. Look at all the drop spindles. 

Sandy's mitered square buggy blanket is almost finished - at least that is what the view from this side suggests.  

 

But Sandy made us look at this side too. Oops.  Finished could be far off.   

Sharon's into the spring greens. Both what she is wearing and what she is knitting.  

This is a little kimono-style baby sweater.  Knit in Koigu Kersti, it is  a lovely baby sweater, Sharon.

Miss Ruth is knitting socks but here she dropped a needle's worth of stitches.  She was not a happy knitter.

Lots of knitting.  Lots of sunshine.  What a great way to spend a spring day.

At Last

This is a sight I am sure glad to see. 

 

My lacey, summer tee is almost finished.  For what was supposed to be a fast knit - in my mind at least - the almost one month it has taken to knit this little piece  has been much too long.

Still to be done is the weaving in of all the ends, seams to sew, then little sleeve extensions.  Those I think I will knit down by picking up the stitches at the bottom of the sleeve cap and knitting until I like the length.

Lacey has had her bath and is now pinned out on the blocking board.  Wet cotton can take awhile to dry.  I didn't want to chance it getting mouldy before getting dry so I took it outside.  Right now, Lacey is enjoying some sunshine on the deck.  Details in a day or so.

  

14 Days Late

Mothers' Day, my annual  'Is spring here yet?' test day,  it was clear that our yard backs onto a Church.  Meaning, if there are not enough leaves on the trees to hide the Church, it is most definitely not yet spring. 

Mothers Day this is what I saw from the patio door.

Saturday, this.  Quite a difference.

I now know for sure - Spring is 14 days late this year.  But here at last.

Thursdays Are for Knit Group

X- rated, Parental Guidance, Restricted, Adult Entertainment.  Name the censorship label and it applied to the conversation today at knit group.  The knitters have told me that I cannot!! write about today's discussion on the blog.  Too riske.  Let's just say that google was used lots,

 

 the laughter came in hoots and men would have found the topic painful.

Yet still there was knitting.  Bonnie knitting a scarf.

Wilma started a sweater - Ce Ce - from Chic Knits.

 

 

Sharon was knitting socks - since she learned how to knit socks this past year, she has become a sock knitting machine.

 Sandy worked on another beautiful, baby-buggy blanket in mitered squares. 

Lots of laughter and chit chat accompanied our knitting.

 
  Even if I can't tell  you what we talked about. 

The Bare Bits

My lacey, white summer tee has a finished back

and part of a front.

 

 I like what I see so far and am pleased with the knit.  Other that it is taking way too long to complete.  I started this, you might remember, on the first weekend of May - the weekend I went to Baltimore.  I do recall saying to Lyn as we drove south towards our destination that it was going to be a quick knit.

That was the blind refusing to see.  The gauge, although as suggested, was too loose for my liking.  That was a rip  Then the lace turned out to be  way too stretchy for my liking.    Another rip.  Smaller needles, a re-design of the lace sections and I am more slowly on my way.  I can see this little top taking  a month to complete.  Ah well - the never-ending saga of the knitter's life.

What concerns me now, is the bare bits.  Where will they locate themselves?  Above or below the spots that I wish to modestly cover is fine.  I could then wear the tee without a tank underneath  -  much more perfect for a hot summer's day.  But if the bare bits sit atop what is best covered, then a tank will be required.

Way too old for the current trend towards bare shoulders, mid-riffs and other body parts (truthfully, who isn't too old for that?)  I am hoping for an air-conditioned-but-modest tee.   I'll need to finish the tee before I know what the  bare bits will bare.   Fingers crossed. 

The Not Really Weekend.

It is no wonder we Canadians get confused and  present a confusing state to countries far and wide. 

In Canada, our first, three-day,  summer weekend is a weekend of  'not reallys'.   Often as not, despite the media proclaiming it our first, long weekend of the summer - it isn't summer at all.  When my sons were children,  the May 24th long weekend was the weekend of fireworks.  Some years, spectators  arrived in shorts and tank tops, sporting their first, burnt, red skin of the season.  Other years, we wore our ski suits, toques and mittens to watch the fireworks display.    Summer? Not really.

The May 24th long weekend was created to celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday.  In years past, and even by some still today,  it was and is  called The Victoria Day Weekend.  Since Queen Victoria's death, the first, summer, long weekend has been used to celebrate the reigning monarch's birthday. In French, it is called 'La Fete de la Reigne'  -  party of the Queen.  While indeed Queen Victoria was born on May 24th, 1819,  no reigning monarch since has been born on that day.  Queen Elizabeth was born  April 21, 1926.  Is the May  Two-Four our reigning  monarch's birthday?    Not really.

The May 24th long weekend is a federal Canadian holiday.  It is to be celebrated on the Monday prior to May 25th.  This year, we celebrate on May 18th.  Is that the 24th of May?  Not really.

Canadians see the long weekend as the perfect start point to summer activities.  Parks and campgrounds have long been booked full in anticipation of this first summer long weekend. While cottagers head to their cabins, city dwellers look for outdoor patios.  With temps in our area ranging from 12 to 18 degrees over the next three days, will it be sunny and warm enough to enjoy these activities this year?  Not really.

About the only thing that will remain really true  about our May Two Four this year,  is the play on words  used by most Canadians to describe the weekend. We call it the May Two-Four.  Describes not only the date, but the size of a case of beer.  Does it have to be the Queens' birthday, hot or  summery or even May 24th to enjoy a cold one?  Not really.

Have a great long weekend, my fellow Canadians.  Indoors or outdoors, enjoy yourself and happy knitting.

Thursdays Are For Knit Group

Thursdays are the best day of the week.  That was repeated more than once at knit group today.  And who wouldn't think so when they could see the gorgeous knits on display this afternoon.

Sandy's beaded, cruise shawl is almost finished.

 

She tried it on to today to the delight of all of us.  It is a wonderful piece.  And from what I can see, totally  free of flaws.

 

Sandy has had a stressful time lately, with  her husband  in a Toronto hospital, two hours from home, for most of the winter.  If you can knit this complicated a piece under those conditions, Sandy, you can knit anything.


Sharon knit this delightful baby hat with yarn she scored at our stash swap.  With that one ball of yarn, she knit a pair of socks and still had enough leftover for this baby hat.

Last week, Wilma was just casting on for this delightful summer cowl, today she is wearing it.  Knit with Cascade cotton, it is  a very pretty accessory for a summer tee.  I might just have to make one of those for myself.  I'll have to wait though, until Wilma remembers the pattern name.  Woman of a certain age, she is.

Someone who knew someone,  told someone that there are a bunch of knitters who  meet weekly on Thursdays at the library.  Someone who heard the news had yarn to give away.  Today, a stranger appeared at the door and bags of yarn were piled on the table.   That's how things happen on Thursdays.   
 

It didn't  take Deanna long to  coral what she wanted.

Another great Thursday.  Lots of fun and laughter.  Lots of yarn and knitting. 

Vaguely Vogue

My Vague, Not Precise Tee,  with its shirt-tail hem, has had more than a few re-starts.

 I am surprised and disappointed that a Vogue pattern would leave the knitter so puzzled and confused.  Like the section that mentions to  knit for x  inches from the underarm markers.  Not a complicated instruction - except for this point. There are no underarm markers!  Read and re-read the pattern as many times as you like - there is no mention of markers period. Anywhere.

Does Vogue not have any editors?  I sometimes counsel beginner knitters that 'free' patterns are often worth what one pays for them.  But I paid full retail for this latest issue of Vogue.  Little wonder I prefer to knit from my head,  not a pattern. 

My re-design of the cute-but-frustrating,  shirt-tail tee has two rows of stockinet stitch in the middle of the lace  portions.  Without it, the lace was so-o-o-o much more stretchy than the stockinet as to make the overall shape just too wonky.  The pattern calls for 22 rows of lace, so I knit 10, then two rows of stockinet, then another 10 of the lace.

It give some interest, keeps the stretching down to manageable  and still looks fine.  IMO.

I'll soon arrive at neckline and shoulder shaping.  Can't wait to see what the pattern suggests I do there.

A Failed Test

Mothers' Day weekend is test weekend at our house. We test the season's progression.  This year, spring failed the test. 

Long time readers know that Mothers' Day weekend is when we bought our house back in 2006.  That year, the weather had been warm and sunny for weeks.  As Fred gazed out  the patio doors,  the Church behind us was so well hidden   by the leaves on the Birch trees as to be unrecognizable.  Not knowing the area and worried that the house backed onto a night club, motor cycle gang club house or some such, he turned to the realtor standing beside him and asked " What's that building back there?"  The United Church.  Well, they'd make great neighbours. 

Each year since, I check that patio-door view on Mothers Day weekend.  This year, the season failed us.  No mistaking the building beyond our shsed.  This was the view Saturday morning. 

 

I will continue to check the view every Saturday.  Then I will be able to tell you for sure how many weeks our season is lagging behind this year.  Stay tuned.


But I did see something, Saturday morning, that  I had not seen in months. 

Buds. Those are buds.  They will eventually be leaves.  I'm serious.  They will be leaves.  Hopefully green ones before they turn colour and drop off. 

A Box Of Greens

Nicki, yesterday at knit group, plunked a re-cycled, salad-greens box in front of me and said "These are for you.  They are your colours."

Her husband, a few years ago, had purchased  a Knit Picks Palette kit for her  as a Christmas gift.  She knit the project and had these left over.  All my colours.  Being spring, the time of year for divesting oneself of excess,  she gathered these up, put them in the plastic container and gave them to me.  I am one lucky girl.

Such beautiful colours.   I am torn between wanting to knit them right away and   letting them sit on the coffee table as a priceless work of art.  I think I will do a bit of both.  They can sit there all summer as a feast for my autumn-loving eyes, then come fall I will turn them into a great sweater.  That gives a few months for the design to percolate.

Sure gives a whole new meaning to 'a box of greens.'  Thanks so much Nicki.

Thursdays Are For Knit Group

With the sun finally warming our days, spirits were as bright as the yarn at knit group today.  And you should have seen the knitting!

Miss Sandy,  with her new, short, summer hair-do, is working on a project from her recent knitting cruise. 

 

This beaded lace was started in a workshop on the cruise.  This is outstanding, Sandy.

Lorrie is tackling her very first lace project. 

She took a   class from Nan at Riverside Yarns on knitting lace and look at her go.

 Smart lady,  for her first lace project,  she is using much thicker yarn than Sandy's fine, fine yarn.

Bonnie finished a diagonal scarf -  but is puzzled as to how to wear it. 

Gale had some suggestions that got Bonnie thinking.

 
This little baby cardi was knit by Sharon in Sirdar Crofter.  I love those colours.

Ingrid arrived wearing a piece that shouts 'I'm unique -Ingrid knit me.'

 

 

It wasn't the sweater she wanted to show us though.  It was this little fellow. 

 

 

 

Knit by Ingrid's  neighbour who specializes in knitting life-style pieces at a 1:12 scale.  We were all gobsmacked. Slack-jawed and gobsmacked.

Things knitters don't see everyday.  Non-knitters?  Probably never! But then they don't come to knit group.