I have a new job. I applied for the job on May 15, received a call for an interview on May 16, went to the interview on May 20 and was offered the job on May 23. My last day at my current position is tomorrow and my first day at my new position is Monday. WHIRLWIND!

I finished the Maggie sweater and am wearing it today. I must show it off at Knit Night.

The sweater that Meredith requested was finished on May 24 (last Friday). It took me exactly 7 days with a few minor snafu’s, such as running out of white yarn and having to borrow more from Mary (a knitting friend - THANK YOU MARY!) and having to rip out the button bands because I made them for a girl instead of a boy. I had even sewn on the buttons. :) But it all worked out and Amanda (the girl who is having the baby) loved it. I loved the buttons, they were little VW Beetle cars. :)

Our whole Knit Night crew decided to do the Great American Aran Afghan from the Knitter’s Magazine. It started out with Mary and I doing it and blossomed into a whole group project with each woman making her own afghan. I went nuts once I got the yarn and got started on it. I now have almost two finished and the “rule” that Mary and I established is that we would only do two a month because I thought she could just whip them up in no time and I would be left in her dust. Well, it’s not working out that way. I’m so excited about them that I’ve finished almost two in one week. I need to slow down or my afghan is going to be finished in about four months instead of the year that we have agreed on. The squares go really quickly and will be perfect to work on on vacation this summer because they are so portable. Must pace myself!

Hopefully will keep this up better!

It’s been a week, I know! A busy week at that. My phone wasn’t working for the entire weekend last weekend. I hit a wire that’s exposed in my walk-in closet and it completely disconnected the line, so no internet access.
I’m cleaning off some of the stuff that’s built up on my hard drive at work and I found this. A cute photo of me as a little tiny tyke. :) I love this photo. :)

So what have I been working on this week since I had no phone on the weekend. I completely finished knitting the Maggie sweater. I did the neck last night and now I just need to sew the sleeves to the body and do the side seams. Shouldn’t take me too long (if I actually do it!) :). I hope to have updated images on my current projects page. I also took some photos of what I look like knitting. They aren’t exciting, but they were kind of interesting. They aren’t up yet.

I have finally figured out how to work the collar for the Fisherman’s Rib sweater. It’s not easy, but it’s working. I hope to have it finished this weekend. If it ever gets warm here in Chicago, I might be able to wear it someday! At the rate we’re going it’s going to be 50 and 60 degrees until July, then it will be over 100 degrees, then go back to cold and wet in August.

I’ve also been working on the Clouds blanket a lot. I’m half way finished. I’m nearing 90 rows and there are 170. I’m trying not to hold myself to the pattern exactly, but it’s tempting and I just have to remember it will look great no matter what. I love the fluffy (more like fuzzy) clouds!

I’m also starting a little baby sweater for Meredith’s boyfriend, Patrick’s niece. I’m going to use the same yarn that I used for the first slip stitch sweater that I did for Emma. It’s for a boy, so I’m using blue and white. She wants a small size, so it shouldn’t take too long.

I’m sending the Brittany jumper to Holli today. :) She, Mike and Katherine are going to Kansas next week and I want to make sure she has it to take to Kansas. Everyone has told me it’s adorable. Bear has gotten many nice comments about his being such a good model for the jumper. :)

I’ve made a lot of progress on the Maggie sweater. I have finished both sleeves and am about ready to divide for the neck on the front piece. I hope to be sewing it together within the next week or so. I really need to update my photos on my website for this sweater. I’ve mainly worked on this most of the week. I started the front on Tuesday and by Wednesday night I was at row 75, I have to do 90 before I divide for the neck. It’s hard to explain how the front looks, so I’ll try to get a photo of it up soon.

Yesterday, I worked exclusively on the Clouds blanket. I am about 1/3 of the way through. Of course it’s taking longer than I thought, but it’s intarsia and I should have known better than to think it was something I would finish in a weekend.

Thank goodness it’s the weekend. To all you mothers out there - HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!

I sewed the buttons onto the Brittany jumper. I also crocheted the picot edging around the neck and armholes, and it’s already to be sent to Holli. It’s absolutely adorable!

I finished the first sleeve on the Maggie sweater. I’m half way through the second sleeve. I haven’t done the back yet because I want to see if I’ll need the extra ball of Kidsilk Haze that I bought. I also think that working on the front will go quick and knowing that it’s all I have left to do will keep me motivated to finish it soon!

I didn’t sew the side seam on the Odessa sweater. Naughty, naughty, I know. I started watching Providence and I just didn’t feel like sewing a seam, I wanted to finish the back of the Maggie sweater and do the crochet work on the Brittany jumper.

I started working on the Glint sweater again. I decided to buy some straight bamboo needles to finish it. They are working out the best for this sweater as the Kidsilk Haze kept catching on the brass connector on the circular needles. Then I thought I would try double-pointed needles with point covers on the ends and the covers weighed down the needles, so they were awkward to use. I have about 65 rows finished, there are only 135 more rows to go on the front. :) Then it’s the sleeves, which never take me that long since I have short arms. :)

Teaching again tonight. I’m going to teach them how to bind off, cast on and ribbing.

I started the Jaeger “Hobo” sweater in Bollicina. Mmmm, can we say knitting heaven! It’s knit from one end of a sleeve to the other sleeve, so it’s knit sideways. I love doing the cable, since the yarn is so fine, the cable is not difficult. It’s like a braided cable. It’s knitting up bee-u-ti-fully! It’s on size 3 needles, but they don’t feel that small since I’m just working on a small piece right now. I’m sure it will seem like more work when I’m working on the body and I have over 200 stitches on my needles. :)

I bought buttons for the Brittany jumper. They are little red ladybugs. They are so cute! I hope that I can send it to Holli early next week. It’s so cute that I wouldn’t mind keeping it for myself, as usual. :)

Went to Knit Night. It was good to get out of the house and get compliments on my work. I’m almost finished with three projects! I am going to sew the Odessa side seam, I only have one more then I’ll block the seams so that they lay nicely. Providence is on tonight, then Dateline and 20/20 or Law & Order. There is a 90-minute town meeting on Nightline tonight, so I’ll watch that. If I have finished the side seam, I’ll either knit on the Maggie or do the crocheted edges on the Brittany jumper.

Finished the ribbing of the Brittany jumper. I blocked the dress today. I’m looking for buttons tonight at Knit Night tonight. I need to do the crocheted picot edging around the neck and armholes. Hopefully, it won’t take me too long to do that, since it only took me about 5 months to do that part on Mom’s shell.

I received photos from Grandma’s 80th birthday party from Joy. There is one that I had to put on my site as soon as I saw it. It’s of me, Grandma and Dad. I have on my Rowan orange sweater with the green wool skirt that I made, Grandma has on the scarf I made for her for Christmas, and Dad has on the sweater that I made him for Christmas. I think I need to get a photo of everyone in their sweaters - me, Meredith, Mom and Dad. I’m so glad that Joy took this photo. I have a cute photo of Joy and I and a photo of Grandpa and I that I’m going to post later.

I worked on the Rowan Maggie sweater today. I’ve starting shaping the armholes. It’s going really quickly now.

Going to Knit Night soon.

I started the collar on the Rebecca Fisherman’s Rib top, but it looks BAD! The pattern says to continue in the Fisherman Rib in the round. It doesn’t work. Sometimes I wonder if they write the pattern after they’ve made the garment!?!

I finished the stockinette part of the Brittany jumper. I’m now working on the ribbing that’s the bodice part of the jumper. I think I’ll probably have it finished soon. I’ve been home from work for two days, mental health days, and I’ve been knitting a lot.

I also blocked two of the squares for the blanket that my former students made for another student. Now I have one more square to get and I need to work on mine. It won’t take me that long, I hope. :)

I started a new session of my Beginning Knitting class. It went well, two of my students have knit before but they are still beginners. One hadn’t purled before, another had knitted before, but had problems with her work growing without her trying. :) Common problem. I think it will be a good class. I only have three students and I like the small class a lot. We’re going to make the little sweater for the project. I think it will go well. I probably should finish my little sweater so that they can see what they are working towards. I knit several swatches for them to see what garter stitch and stockinette look like. I’ve noticed that trying to explain what garter stitch should look like when they are knitting is actually quite difficult. The garter stitch swatch seemed to help since they could look at it and feel it.

I spent part of the day yesterday updating my current projects page. I hope to keep it more up-to-date than I have been. I even like looking at it regularly because I’m impressing myself lately. :) I really want to finish the Odessa sweater and the Fisherman’s top because I’ve told myself that as soon as I finish both of them, I can start on the shawl for Mom for Christmas. That reminds me I want to add my “projects in planning” to my current projects page.

The kitties have enjoyed having me home. Chloe has spent part of the day looking out the window watching the birdies. She loves the tree outside the dining room window. She should have her website finished soon. Being so silly, she’s taking her sweet girlie-cat time. :) George spent part of the day napping on my lap. :)