R*Y*F*M

After FIVE failed attempts to get the shaped side panels on my Sandy Cardigan for the KAL, I finally sat down, with a minimum of distractions and carefully read the instructions. Amazing what you learn when you RYFM. I'm eager to get this sweater finished so I can move on to another major project.

I now have two hats done for the Dulaan Project. Great fun. As someone pointed out, when you are knitting items that are being distributed to a large group, size is not too important. There is always someone that the hat will fit. I designed both hats. Someone asked for the pattern for the baby earflap hat. This will require more thought and careful counting than it did to make it.

Food, Friends and Knitting

Once a month, we have dinner with eight friends. Each person brings a pre-chosen course and some wine. We enjoy an evening of catching up. We talk of politics, recipes, children and grandchildren, travels, words, friends and plans.

We share each other's joys and pains, celebrations and life experiences. One woman, Kathy even delivered another participant's baby. It was planned, not a "Johnny-on-the-spot thing." That baby, Emily, is now in fifth grade.

At one dinner, Nancy, Emily's mother, was wearing a scarf/boa. When admired, she said Emily's older sister Mary had knit it. Nancy and Mary were both proud of it. I asked Mary to make me one. She agreed. then I thought, if she can do it, so can I.

That satori re-awakeded my love of knitting, and I haven't looked back.

Our evening was a fine one of food, wine and talk, and I brought my knitting. There was noticable progress made on the Multi-colored beaded scarf.



Worried that there were not going to be enough beads, I started doing the lacy part without the beads. It is like knitting at supersonic speed. Never realized how time those little guys used. I'll go back to the beads as the other end comes into view.

The Knitting Guild & Book Club

Tuesday night, with encouragement from some members of the Ample Knitters Group, I went to the monthly meeting of the Windy City Knitting Guild.

What a wonderful bunch of people. There is something empowering to be in a room full of like-minded people, with NO ONE bent out of shape because you are knitting during a presentation. In fact, non-knitters were a very small minority. The group is friendly, well-organized, open-minded, cheerful and encouraging. I look forward to joining and attending regularly.

The presentation was of the most amazing knitted lace. The designer showed us shawls, scarfs, stoles and a duster, all her own designs and her own lace patterns. She had a magazine article showing the bridal veil that she knit for her daughter. Spiders would be envious of the sheerness and beauty of her work. Speaking of spiders, on piece featured spiders. Who says lace knitting has to be serious?

Wednesday night was the regular meeting of our Book Club. (When I clean up its web site I'll link to it.) We had a very pleasant discussion of The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama. Everyone enjoyed the book, which is unusual. Joy, our hostess, followed the Japanese setting of the book and served wonderful Japanese snacks and sushi. Yum. During the meeting I worked on my hat for the Dulaan project.

I am having trouble joining the fronts and sides of the Sandy cardigan. Garter stitch is clearly the way to go, stockinette was just too curly. I am not pleased with the line formed by the picked up stitches. Back to the pattern book. I've ripped out the sides four times and I do not want to do it again.

A Picture from my Past

I recently came across this photo of me and a duck. It was taken in probably 1966. I have changed.

I Did the Math

There was number progress on two fronts.

One front was actually a side. I did the dreaded math for the Sandy Cardigan side gussets. Really no big deal. I actually didn't dread it, that's just what others have called it. I'm about 4 inches into the first one. What I think I may dread is the extra length I added to the sweater. Making the panels longer was fun. Watching the colors change was addictive. Now I have to do all that dumb plain knitting for all the extra length and I'll have to do it again for the other side.

The second number progress is actually two numbers.
1) I lost anther pound (thanks Choice Eating) and
2) my blood pressure is down.
Both good news.

I read my subtitle.

So far, kntting has dominated my blog. Could be that knitting is dominating my life.

As to food...Alison, a co-worker and I have embarked on a lose weight and get in shape challenge. We are using "Choice Eating," a really good, tasty, flexible, calorie controlled food plan. So much better than "Seattle Sutton." I've lost at least 7 pounds. Probably more, but I lied about my weight when I was last at the doctor's office, so the number that I am using for my starting place is not as high as it should be. I'm going there again tomorrow, eager to see the new number.

What about Chicago? You may ask. After the worst weather day in Chicago's history, 3-5 inches of rain in an hour, hail, roads and basements flooding, power outages. All this on Yom Kippur. I am sure that it is a coincidence.

Books? Waiting for Amazon.com to deliver "The Samurai's Garden" by Gail Tsukiyama. It is the next book for my bookclub.

But what about the knitting??? I will finish putting the vertical strips on the second front panel of the Sandy cardigan. Photos to follow.