Whole lotta moving going on

Thanksgiving was very nice. I've so much to be thankful for. Everyone was together. All the nephews and nieces were in town and some first cousins met for the first time. We didn't have it our house, but had a lovely gathering at middle brother's.

I've made good progress on Rosedale. The yarn is the Silver Thaw re-cycled from the Promise of Spring cardigan that didn't work out quite right. This is a very pleasant knit. It's stockinette with a bit of intarsia to make it interesting. Nothing complicated, just nice and easy.


I started on sweaters for Cubs for Kids. It's a TKGA supported charity and the current charity knitting project for the Palmetto Purlers knitting guild. This is the first of the batch.


Shedir from the Knitty breast cancer special edition is on the needles. I have'nt worked on it in over a week.



We're still in the process of moving things. The kitchen was not completed for Thanksgiving. The countertop isn't finished, the floor hasn't been done and we're waiting on appliances to be delivered. We will be ready by Xmas and it's going to be great. This weekend I'll begin setting up the craft room!!!

Craftsmanship

This morning the final coat was put on the floors. Our floors were 41 years old and had never been re-finished. For years they were lovingly waxed and buffed, a task which gradually ended as we grew up and left the house. As time passed, mistreatment took it's toll and the appearance grew worse and worse. It was so bad that even the re-finishers wondered what the floors would like once they started. Sadly, they didn't hold out much hope. On Thursday they found out.


Underneath the years of abuse the red oak was still beautiful. (The paint was a little extra added by the painters who weren't as careful since they knew the floors were going to be re-done.) The entire house is almost complete with the exception of the kitchen, which won't be ready by Thanksgiving, and we can begin moving back in on Monday evening.

Watching the transformation of the house has only intensified my appreciation of those who practice the arts of craftsmanship. What has been even more rewarding and inspiring is the number of young men who have stayed in or come in to assist their fathers in continuing these businesses. Having lived in the midst of and watched the changes on a daily basis, including several weekends, has been inspiring.

Bolero #2 is finished. The background for this shot is the sanded and re-finished floor. The aged floors have a warmth of color not present in the floors of the addtion and I couldn't resist getting this shtp once the floors were dry. This bolero is also for one of my nieces. As I added the ribbing, I couldn't help but smile at the combination of colors. This is my favorite so far and absolutely perfect for a spitfire of a 9-year old. That makes 2 out of 3 boleros ready for Xmas.




I forgot to mention that I'm continuing the "Heels & Toes" experiment. I'm using the "easy toe" from SKS and PGR's short-row heel in the Champlain Sunset socks. This is the first short-row heel I've knitted for myself. The first sock is almost complete and this heel fits perfectly. That may change after wearing but at this moment this is the best fitting heel I've worn. These socks won't have any patterning as I couldn't see disrupting the coloring. They look fantastic in plain stockinette.

Things aren't looking too promising as I'm still deciding on Xmas knitting. I've reached a little stumbling block with all that's going on at work and home. Hopefully this is just a little temporary blip and I can get a few things done before time runs out on me. If all else fails, there's always IOU's.

Transformations

For several days I've watched as our house is transformed from the 60's to the 70's. Even with modern furnishings there are aspects of a house that date it. For the first time in over a decade our house is bathed in color. I feel like I've opened a box of Crayola crayons and poured them into each room. Every room in the house was painted white or off-white during the time I was no longer living at home which was about 20 years ago. They remained that way until this past weekend with the exception of my room which I painted purple a few years back.

When everything is finished the only remaining visible remaints will be the tiles on the bathroom walls and the floor in the 1/2 bath. It's like living in a new house all over again. We've been told that everything will be finished by Thanksgiving (I seriously doubt that). Other plans have been made and more than likely we will spend that weekend moving back in.

I've finished the second Molly bolero. Rosedale is knitting up in some nice muted tones and probably won't have the same effect as the one in Knitty, but I'm pleased. Soon I'll start the Noni Evening Bag with Purple Camellias, except mine won't be purple and another Noro Kureyon Fair Isle type felted bag. I'm also waiting on some Cascade Pastaza to arrive for the Log Cabin Socks in Handknit Holidays. A Xmas present of course, this one for brother the youngest to wear around the house.

XRX has a new lace knitting book out "Victorian Lace Today" by Jane Sowerby. It is a beautiful coffee table style book. I'm hoping that it isn't as error ridden as a significant number of their other publications have been since I purchased it this weekend. More details to come as I will soon be casting on a project out of this one.

2 down, ? to go

Swallowtail #2 is blocked and ready to go. It's funny but I had the same problem on row 3 of the first Lily of the Valley chart as before. For some bizarre reason it takes me at least 3 tries to get it right and then it's smooth sailing.






Specs:

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn Clark, Interweave Knits Fall '06
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr in Ebony (50% wool, 50% silk)
Needles: 4 US Clover Bamboo circular
Size: 49' x 22'
Started: October 3, 2006 Finished: November 4, 2006

Emergence

This shawl has been very slow in emerging from it's cocoon. The time has finally come for it to spread its' wings and show the beauty it has been hiding. Tonight I'll block it and cast on for the Charlotte's Web or the Flower Basket shawl.


More CTH Supersock is on the needle. I cast these on Thursday night. This colorway caught my eye when I visited Knit in Charleston. I'm debating whether or not to put a pattern on them. The colors are so vibrant. They are a tone darker than they appear in this picture. ( I had to use the flash to get the colors to come out.)



I tried out the Bosworth Midi and it is wonderful. It truly seems as if it will spin forever. I was amazed at how balanced the yarn was once plied. Usually I put in too much twist or too little. So far my satisfaction quotient is hight. I'm currently spinning on the Kokovoko spindle and will end with the Yost spindle.

I'm also still sorting out the Xmas projects. Too many decisions to make and time is quickly slipping away. The holiday season is definitely a very bad time to have renovations going in your house. It kinda puts the bah-humbug in it. There's no room for visitors or entertaining. We'll be ready before Xmas which hopefully will put everyone in the holiday spirit.

Raked Leaves (Update)

Monday night I gave up on trying to post pictures to blogger and posted a solo sock photo. Per Monika's request, this is a better pic of the pattern. In the pic it appears obscured by the color of the yarn but is an excellent pattern choice for this yarn. (The pattern is easier to see if you enlarge the photo.)