Author: denisemor

I just finished up the last project of the year- a sweater for Gus.

I didn’t work from a pattern, and so had to figure out the shaping by trial and error, but I’m really happy with how it turned out.
The recipient, however, is feeling grumpy and refusing to model his new sportswear, so that will have to wait.

Anyway, because he has really broad shoulders and a deep chest (for a little guy), I decided to use some modified raglan shaping to get the right fit.

and incorporated about 2 inches of extra length in the chest before rejoining the front and back behind the front leg holes.

Also got sheep hooves trimmed this morning, so the flock is starting the new year on the right foot 🙂

Wishing you all a Happy New Year- see you back here in 2018!

We got a little snow last night

just in time for Christmas.

Now that I’ve got the photo, it is welcome to melt away and give me back my greenery!

Since it’s been mighty cold for the last week, and while the sheeps take it pretty much in stride, I’ve mostly been hanging inside with Tiny Gus, trying to stay toasty and doing some wool-work.

I’ve managed to work up two skeins of My Perfect Green 2-ply

And also finished the argyle panel for sock #1

So far so good, I think. I’m kind of enjoying doing the back and forth across the front of the work. It’s given me a chance to try and figure out what technique works best for me right-handed. I’ve done a little picking, and a little throwing, and even a little flicking. I think that flicking (kind of like throwing, but just with the index finger) might be the most natural for me, but picking seems more efficient, so I keep trying to practice it.

Anyway, one down and one more to go!

I’ve also started working on a little sweater for Tiny Gus.

I’m recycling some wool from a bought sweater that I remodeled a couple of years ago to make the little guy a stylish charcoal colored ribbed mock turtleneck.

And when the cold and snow starts to get to me, I dive into my 2018 David Austin catalog and think colorful, sweet-smelling Spring thoughts

Hope ewe all had a woolly and wonderful holiday!

Argyle socks are coming along!

I do so love the tidy classic pattern-

It’s a bit like creating order out of chaos, with all the tangled working strands hanging off the back.

I am continuing to work only on the front, and my right-handed knitting is getting better I think.
The only technical issue I’m coming across is that my white diagonal line stitches are getting mounted wrong and having to untwist them when I come back across them on the next row. I think it’s only happening when the diagonal is moving opposite direction of the row I’m working. (?)

I suppose I could make the pattern a little simpler by going back in and doing the white lines in duplicate stitch after the fact, but I think they look better when they are knitted in and lay flatter in the pattern.

And so I’ll be working on these for a bit. Perhaps this fussy knitting will help to distract me from the humiliating loss the Seahawks just suffered at the hands of the Rams.

Or maybe not. Ugh.

Springerle-

And our December pastoral scene-

It’s actually kind of amazing that there is still green out there. Today was beautiful, almost 50 degrees. Was nice to get to spend a little time out in the sunshine with the sheeps.

The reason that you don’t see Esther above is that she ran up so fast I couldn’t get her in the photo! Pretty sure she thought I had alfalfa pellets 🙂 I’ll make sure to catch her next time.

In knitting news, I am once again feeling a strong urge to argyle.
I remember that it was fussy and slow-going,,, but I am drawn to it like a moth to flame.

This time out, I am going to do something a little different.
My plan is to knit the argyle part back and forth left to right in my regular left-handed style, and back across the front right to left like a right-hander (continental, I think).

I’ve been practicing my right-handed knitting, and think I can make a go of it. I think that it will be nice to be able to work only on the right side. Hope to get started this week!