Dahlia

Dahlia by Heather Zoppetti

Yarn: Manos Del Uruguay Serena

Needles: US 4

I enjoyed knitting this but think I could have gone down another needles size as the stitches were very loose on the needle. When this was blocked and finished, I first tried it on with a tank underneath, but it kept slipping off my shoulders. Then I put a long sleeve T on underneath and it felt much better. I'll still try to wear it with a tank or t-shirt (the t-shirt might help it from slipping) as it will be a nice cardi for the spring or cool summer evenings - ha ha, who am I kidding we NEVER get 'cool' summer evenings here in TX!!!

Yarn Along - 1/25

Joining in with Ginny for Yarn Along this week. I'm almost finished with my Dahlia cardigan, I just have to knit one more sleeve which I'm already half way through. I have both sleeves still on the needles because I wasn't sure how much yarn I would have left! The first sleeve needs a few more rows of moss stitch (if I have enough yarn!). I'm hoping I'll finish it by the weekend and I can block it - I'm so excited!

As much as I want to finish Dahlia quickly I sometimes just need a break from knitting with the same yarn. I cast on for the Drifty mitten last night, actually late afternoon! And I finished it last night, all except the thumb!

I'm knitting with the same yarn again (Hobby Lobby's I Love This Wool), but using size 6 needles. It has turned out a perfect size for Kristen's hands. Usually mitts that I knit often turn out a little big. I'll probably try to finish Dahlia before I cast on for the second mitten.

I finished reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese last week for our book club, so before I start our next monthly read (which is Girl in Translation) I thought I would pick up the Harry Potter book again. I started the 5th book weeks ago and am not even half way through it. I'd like to get it read so I can watch the movie. I haven't seen the 5th, 6th and 7th movie yet, but I want to read the books first.

It's ME Time :-)

This past week I've been knocked down with allergies, really BAD allergies, Cedar Fever to be exact!!! I've had a sore throat, itchy ears, headaches, no energy, stuffy nose, and now the pressure in my head is so bad I can hardly hear :-(  I haven't been to the gym in over a week (again) and I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself. I finally called my ENT Dr this morning, can't get an appointment to see him until Friday! but thankfully he called in a prescription for antibiotics and steroids to help me until then.

Suffice to say, feeling so 'out of sorts' this week, I've been having a lot of down time. Wanna know what I've discovered? Knitting Podcasts!!! VIDEO knitting podcasts to be exact (cos I need the visual). I'm sure I'm way behind the times and you've probably all been listening (or watching) podcasts for years, but I've never really bothered - until now. I have an Ipad an I like sitting on the sofa knitting and watching the podcast while I knit. It's like having a friend there chatting to me, about the one thing I'm passionate about.  

Two of my favs so far are Tina from Blooming Knitter, her podcasts are called 'Knitting Blooms' and you can find her group on Ravelry HERE.  The other one I like is Tammy 'The Proverbial Knitter'. Her Ravelry group is HERE.

So, it's 2012, and it's time to knit for me. And guess what?, I don't know what to knit! Well that's not really true, right now I have Wray and Dahlia on the needles that I cast on last year. 

This is as far as I've gotten with Wray, I just divided for the armholes. The ribbing is slow going, but I just love this Lily Kate design and can't wait to wear it!

My Dahlia cardigan is a bit further along than even this photo shows. I've actually picked up one sleeve and am nearly finished it, I've just started the pattern at the cuff. I have vowed not to start any large projects until both of these items are off my needles - please hold me accountable! I am allowing myself one small item along with these two larger ones. The only problem is I don't have much in my stash and therefore I don't know what that small item should be.

Tonight I decided to cast on for a simple pair of socks. I haven't taken pictures today so that will be something I'll share next time. I hope to blog a lot more often on here this year AND visit my knitting friends blogs much more too.  I also would like to treat myself to some NICE yarn (read 'not acrylic', and not from Hobby Lobby or Michael's!) but I'd rather I buy it when I know what project I have in mind for it.

A couple of other goals I have for this year (cos I don't call them resolutions, we all know they just get broken!) is to 1) organize my 'stash', the little that I do have, and 2) try and knit a pair of 'toe-up' socks! I seriously have never tried this, and I've been told it's much easier to do and helps the sock fit a lot better too! Is that true? Do you knit 'toe-up'? What do you think?

Well anyway, that's what I'm up to here. Off to read some blogs now. If you pop in to read me, please say hi, I love your comments and will always return the visit.