I started the Botanical Yoke sweater for Pepper last week. The pattern begins with the “sleeves” which are put “on hold” and then begin the main sweater from the bottom up.
The sleeves are finished; I’m on the fourth row/round of the body.
It’s been cold here the past few days so when I put her old sweater on her, I realized it was way too small. She wore it anyway.
I’m trying to knit this quickly but with DK yarn and size 4 needles, it’s not as quick as a worsted sweater on larger needles. Plus there are all the other things I have/want/need to do…
Yes, I remember. I fractured my humerus over Labor Day weekend (September 3rd). I’m out of the sling and going to physical therapy twice a week getting strength and motion back. It’s a long process but I see lots of improvement.
I finally picked up my knitting needles last week “thinking” I could knit another 1898 hat for a charity event. All knit, no purl. I could knit about 15-20 rows on the headband section before I had to stop and rest for the day. Slow going to say the least considering I completed one of these hats in 2-3 days in the past! It’s going to take some time to get my knitting skills back.
My next knitting attempt will be this sweater for Pepper. Maybe I’m just more motivated to knit this than the hat. We shall see! Truth be told I don’t usually buy individual knitting patterns but I’ve been eyeing up this sweater for a year (since we decided to actually get a puppy) and finally decided that Pepper was worth it (plus it was on sale at the time). I didn’t have any superwash DK yarn in my stash and “had” to order some (in Rhubarb). It should arrive today! I know I could adapt the pattern and use a worsted weight yarn but I don’t have the brain power at this time to do the math.
Formal training with Pepper will end before Christmas. We’ve learned so much and even though we have more to do, it’s time for a much needed break. One armed training was not fun but I’m able to use both arms now. Miniature Schnauzers are headstrong PLUS she was the alpha dog with her siblings, a tough thing to overcome for her.
Well, I got really, really, really busy with several projects: knitting, sewing, refinishing and reupholstering a desk chair, sewing, knitting, sewing, knitting, and getting ready for a new addition to our home.
November SocksNovember Socks legsCloseup of leg and truest color shot
I love the colors and it’s really hard to capture how pretty they really are. The honeycomb pattern was fairly easy but I did have to concentrate on those rows.
My sister gave me some fabric with a plate and silverware design so I made six placemats for my daughter.
These two chairs have been sitting in my basement since I rescued them from iPad aunt’s garage in 2015. I stripped one chair, refinished it, and put on new upholstery suede fabric. I took lots of pictures during the process but I’ll just show you the before and after. If you really want to see all the work-in-progress pictures, let me know and I’ll try to make some sense of them for you. Personally the before and after pictures should be enough. I plan to redo the other chair but that will have to wait till next spring as I have to do some of the work outside.
Before…..After…..
This quick sewing project took about an hour or two. I made mesh laundry bags to send with all of the socks I made with the hand-dyed yarn we dyed in June.
The Karate Kid’s socks were next on the project list and I finished them in record time (for me at least). I used this Syncopation Sock pattern that I’ve used before. The pattern is written for toe-up socks but I made these from the top down. I love the colors and wish I could keep them for myself! They deserve a post of their own so I’ll just show the finished project for now.
All of the socks I knit for my three grands and my daughter along with the mesh bags and placemats will be boxed up and sent to Colorado ASAP.
Another quick and easy sewing project was this leash. The fabric is a heavy brushed cotton that looks like a patchwork quilt. I had everything in my sewing stash so, in less than 30 minutes, it was done.
I just started this sweater (I’m just using one color) the other day and have a deadline of December 16 to get it off the needles…
…because we are getting ready for a new addition to our family.
A female miniature schnauzer puppy! No pictures of her right now but I will soon. Very soon! For the next several days puppy-proofing the house will be our #1 priority!
…I made this top. It was too large and knew it would end up on the Island of Misfit Knitting.
So I ripped it apart and chose a different pattern: Drops Design Sunny Day Top #170/32. It’s been almost finished for over a year. What was the problem?
I had to weave in the ends.
The yarn is a 50g, 90-yard ball of a cotton/acrylic/nylon blend in DK weight. I used almost all eight balls. I have 28 grams left and I wish I would have made a top-down top so I could use every last inch. Alas, that was not the case.
Saturday morning found me weaving in the ends.
And now I can call it FINISHED!
I’m a bit hunched over so you can see the eyelet details but I think I look like a linebacker.
Knitting In Flashes 