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A New Year's Wish From Me to You ...
~a couple notes~
Scout is a certified mutt rescued from the pound. He has been such a good boy! Our neighbors come to get him soon - isn't that mean of them?
Right after I made that grumpy comment, my husband came down with the stomach flu. Oops. Maybe he'll feel better tomorrow so he can model his darned sweater!
Be safe tonight!
We're puppy-sitting. Our neighbors left this little guy, Scout, with us for a couple days while they go into the city. Isn't he cute? We aren't pet people, (except for Demon, our fish) so this is a new experience for us. Look at that face - what's not to like?
Thanks so much for your kind words about Na Craga. I was so envious all those weeks before Christmas as I watched all the gift knitting going on out there - scarves and socks and hats, so it did take some will power to stick to it.
I made no major changes to the pattern, except adding quite a bit of length to the sleeves. I had to break into the 11th skein of Cascade 220 when it came time to do the neck - thank goodness I had it!
I was very careful to write things down as I went along. Among other things, this helped me keep track of my rows with the sleeve increases, saving time with the second sleeve as all I had to do was copy what I had done, instead of trying to re-create it. I also didn't use a cable needle, which is much quicker for me.
I know an angel dropped that 16" size 6 circular for the neck in my needle box when I went to look for it at 3 pm on the 24th! Otherwise, it would have never been finished. Honestly, I had NO CLUE I had one of those in my possession.
Grumpy My husband hasn't posed for an action shot yet - maybe tomorrow?
Pattern: Na Craga, from Aran Knitting, Alice Starmore
Size: Largest size, gift for my husband
Yarn: Cascade 220, Color 4001, 11 skeins
Needles: Addi Turbo Circular, Size 6 and 7
Started November 26, Completed December 25, 2004
Happy New Year!
(I'm off to visit family for a couple days. I could NOT have finished this without your encouragement to keep me going! I am so grateful for my blogging pals! May you have a relaxing holiday week!)
I think I'm going to make it! Just a few rows left on the collar. All my worries about fit and mistake are gone, but more about that later. It's going to get crazy around here over the few hours, so I just wanted to take a break and wish you all a wonderful, healthy, happy Christmas! Now, back to knitting...
PS - thanks to all for your kind messages about Will! (He has three scarves going. Remarkable!)
I've gotten a little sidetracked from my knitting. The phone rang the other day. It was a woman who got my name from a friend of mine. She heard I knew how to knit, and was wondering if I would teach her 11 year old son, Will.
Will has been suffering from advanced Lyme Disease for the past 8 weeks. He was a normal, active 6th grader until Lyme invaded is central nervous system, leaving him unable to walk, impaired physically and cognitively to what extent, we can't be sure at this time.
I went over last Saturday and spent an hour with Will. I took some size 11's and some bulky wool. On the following Monday, his mom drove him over and I went out to the car, climbed in the back, marvelled at what he had accomplished (no visible mistakes!)and showed him how to add a new ball of yarn.
This morning she called and said he used 3 balls, is done the scarf and needs to "get it off the needles" and start something new. She started to cry, saying that the knitting has helped him with his depression, that he wants to make scarves and sell them and give the money to old people. She said he takes his knitting to bed with him. She asked if I would set him up with a few projects to keep him going while I am out of town over the holidays.
She said, "You are my Christmas Angel, and that means a lot because I am Jewish." We got a chuckle out of that!
So this has sidetracked me from my knitting. Will I finish Na Craga? Cross your fingers and your toes. And while you're at it, if you please, say a little prayer for Will, whatever your denomination!
me: "So, have you started your shopping yet?"
husband: "Nah. It's a little too early for me yet."
typical.
My favorite holiday decoration has to be these sweet porcelain snowbirds I bought many years ago when we were first married. They clip on to a string of lights, causing them to glow a creamy white color. I must have 30 of them, some sleeping, some awake, and they always go on my mantel along with lots of greens and golden ropes and snowflakes.
My goal for today was a completed front and back - there you have it, five pattern repeats short. Five Pattern Repeats = Five Hours of Knitting. Sleeves, Collar, Seaming = Unknown Amount of Time and Yarn. December 25 - December 10 = 15 Days...
Will the math work out?
Imagine my shock the other day when I came across the photo of the afghan on the left at Norma's site! I blinked twice when I saw it because I was looking at an exact replica of the afghan on the right, which was made for me by my Mom in the late 1970's as I was preparing to go away to college. That's right, over 25 years ago!
The beauty on the left was made by Norma's friend, Lee. You can meet Lee and learn about her knitting obsession in last Monday's post over at Now Norma Knits 2. She has quite a collection of sweaters, each telling a story. My afghan has been with me from the day my Mom gifted it to me. It now sits at the end of my daughter's bed, ready to be pulled up for added warmth on a chilly night.
The similarities are obvious! Brightly colored stripes, separated by cream, the whole thing finished off with fringe and a crocheted edge. I remember doing the crochet and the fringe myself as my Mom was always challenged in these areas. The differences - Lee used pure wool (good call, Lee!) while my Mom chose acrylic. If you click on them, you can see that Lee's is accented in green, while my Mom used a light gray.
Knitting is timeless, a labor of love, gifts made to last forever which give our loved ones warmth and comfort and a link to home. I am so inspired by all the gift knitting going on out there for the holidays (and a bit jealous of all the finishing that's happening, too)! I'm working on my own gift - Na Craga for my husband. I was thinking "this is taking so long!" but now I see how the few weeks spent on this sweater is nothing if it is worn and loved as long as my (and Lee's) afghans.
A few months ago, I was searching for some free patterns on the web, and what to my wondering eyes should appear....
The name got me thinking...imagine the same afghan done in the beautiful natural colors of icelandic lopi - gray, black, brown, cream....
