pattern: Martha from Rowan Magazine 28
yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed, Crush (color 144)
started: January 8, 2007
completed: April 11, 2008

This month at the library I work at we’re doing a Pedometer Challenge. There are different teams around the library competing for the highest weekly average. My average last week wasn’t great but this week is definitely going to be better. Biking can be converted to steps, so we dusted off our bikes this weekend. I’ve already biked over nine miles these last two days. My new walking shoes will be a huge help in motivating me to continue walking to work on those days that my seat is too sore to ride my bike.

pattern modified from Tweedy Vest by Mona Schmidt from Knitscene, Fall/Winter 2005
yarn: Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed, color: 20008
started: November 22, 2007
completed: February 10, 2008

The semester is winding down and there is still so much to be done. I’m looking forward to summer and growing vegetables again. Today I noticed the hostas we planted last year are coming up. They’re in a pot that we buried in the ground that we can dig up and put on our front porch. I just hope the apartment people don’t come by and chop them off thinking that they are weeds. My summer schedule is going to be a bit less crazy than this semester. I have two classes - Non-Fiction for Children and Adult Popular Literature. There will be a lot of reading but I loved reading for my Children’s Lit class last semester.

pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann from The Knitting Workshop
yarn: Berocco Cotton 100 in Blue (9198) and Lime (9225)
started: March 18, 2008
finished: March 28, 2008

Lately, I’ve been knitting washcloths. I’m nearly finished with my third in as many weeks. Maybe it’s spring fever, maybe it’s finally finishing the Martha sweater, maybe it’s feeling too pressed for time.

Six years ago on April 18, 2002 I started my lowly little blog. Last year, I noted all of the projects I’d worked on since April 2002. It’s been sort of a slow knitting year for me with school and all of the sewing that I did last summer. Since last April: I’ve started Library School, knitted two baby sweaters, finished the pair of Go with the Flow socks, completed a pair of Anniversary socks, and knitted one Waving Lace sock. I also finished the Moderne Baby Blanket. For myself, the Tweedy vest was knitted in a matter of a few months and the biggest accomplishment was finishing the Martha sweater. In the sewing department, I made six skirts for myself, several bags, two adorable bunnies, made my first quilt and started another quilt (which is a surprise).

I seem to have come down with a very contagious and pleasurable “illness” - Zimmermania. A couple of weeks ago, I got Elizabeth Zimmermann’s book Knitting Workshop through interlibrary loan (an amazing service). I’d been dreaming about making the Saddle Shoulder Aran Cardigan for Bryan ever since he said he’d love to have that sweater. So I requested this book to tide me over for a while and to see what else was in it. I fell in love with this book and had to have my very own copy. We had a bit of a gift certificate left over from Christmas that I’d been saving for some things I really wanted, after I checked out the the Knitting Workshop book, I decided that the gift certificate would be well spent on not one but two Elizabeth Zimmermann books. While the Saddle Shoulder Aran isn’t in the book, I’ve ordered the pattern through my LYS. And will slowly acquire the yarn for the sweater.

But first a Baby Surprise Jacket is on my list. I’m traveling to Kansas City for Spring Break and hope to start this on the trip. Who knows what the second EZ project will be, I guess I’ll just finish the BSJ. Then I’ll see where I want to go from there and what projects I have yarn for.

The Martha sweater is done, except for the seams. The sleeve seams have been giving me absolute fits. I was hoping to get the sweater done before the weather warmed up. It’s been quite nice the last few days but I’m sure we haven’t seen the last blast of cold weather for the winter.

Also I’m doing a little spring cleaning around the blog. A new template is definitely in store for Spring. So if you see it changing a bit over the next few days, never fear.

As if I was just sitting around waiting for something to do, I saw this book on the purl bee blog.

It’s so cute and I would love to make one to put on my bookbag but I’m afraid I might lose it. The bunny is just too cute!

The Martha sweater is literally three rows from completion. I hope to bind off the collar tomorrow night. After that, it’s just sewing the sleeves to the body and then the side seems! From the weather forecast for this weekend and the looks of things, I may be able to wear it into July. With this winter, we may have snow up until Memorial Day. I sure hope not!

A wonderful, sunny, spring-like day can completely turn anyone’s mood. Bryan and I went out for a morning walk and loved feeling the sun on our faces. On our walk, we saw a sign of spring popping out of the earth, a few green plants that will probably be daffodils in a few weeks.

In the afternoon, we went to the library to get a lot of reading done. We’ve decided it should be a regular thing for us to just go to the library and enjoy some time reading. The late afternoon sun was streaming in the windows of our office and I decided that we needed to go take a few photos of each other. We have so few photos of each other since the wedding that this seemed like the perfect day. There are some cute ones that we took.

Tomorrow promises to be another cold day with snow forecast for Tuesday. We needed a nice day around here after all of the cold and clouds we’ve had this winter. Everyone just seems to have had a good day. How could you not when it’s 60 degrees out in early March?

With the spring-like weather also brought some excitement at the possibility of summer sewing. New skirts, finishing a quilt I started last summer and so many other cute projects. I’m sure another bag is in my future too. Then I saw these little handkerchiefs that I would love to make but I know I would probably never use. Just the daintiness of them makes me smile and the fabric is wonderful.

The last few days while I was sick, I knitted a new washcloth for myself and started another one for Bryan this morning. Simple projects can sometimes be so therapeutic after working on one large project for months on end. Dorie’s simple washcloths have inspired me to look at patterns other than the ball-band pattern from Mason-Dixon. Though the ball-band washcloth is the first one that came to mind when I wanted to work on something simple while I was sick. I did manage to finish knitting the Martha sweater on Friday and picked up stitches for the neck. The only reason I want it to be cold another week is so that I can wear my beautiful new sweater.

I felt so inspired today and am dreading the snow and ice again.

I’ve never been one to have a knitting schedule until now. Holiday knitting wasn’t even on my list until just a few days ago. A bit of a late start but this one sock can definitely be accomplished in a set amount of time. I started the sock on Friday and decided that I need to knit one lace repeat per day to finish it by Christmas Eve. The second sock will be finished after Christmas but I just wanted to have something for the receipient to open on Christmas Day. It’s a bit maddening to realize that what seems like a completely do-able task (one 12-row lace repeat) can quickly get away from you.

I promised photos in the last post but it took me a few days to gather everything up for photos. Finally, photos are taken and posted. I’ve been on break officially now for seven days and I’ve been keeping myself very busy. This week I’m hoping is a bit less crazy and that I can settle in for some good knitting.

Waving Lace sock. Sock one is finished, sock 2 not even started. The needles are being occupied by another pair of socks that are a gift that must be completed first.

Tweedy Vest. This is the vest that I started on Thanksgiving Day. The back is finished and I haven’t started the front. The yarn I’m using is a bit different than the pattern calls for so I’ve basically reworked the pattern for my yarn’s gauge and my own rib pattern of k1, p2, k3, p2, which doesn’t show up well in the photo. The yarn is Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed.

Martha cardigan. I made a lot of progress on Martha in November finishing one front in a matter of two weeks. The vest distracted me with the possibility of finishing it in a few weeks and the above-mentioned gift socks have been a distraction from Martha and the vest. The first sleeve on Martha is coming along well thanks to some serious knitting group knitting in the last two weeks.

My invitation for Ravelry arrived last week and I’ve tried very hard not to get completely sucked in. There is so much to it that I haven’t even full explored. A few projects have been entered but that’s about it. I could see it being a true time warp site. If you’re floating around Ravelry drop me a message (libraryknitr).

Finally, my friend S sent me this article about the Sock Wars. I thought it sounded great but a bit too competitive and crazy for me personally. I really admire people who participate in things like this.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

I finally got the little February Baby sweater, otherwise known as the Little Lace Demin jacket, was finished in October but I didn’t get buttons on it until recently. It was sent off to its rightful owner and received over the weekend.

pattern: February Baby Sweater from The Knitter’s Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmermann
yarn: Rowan Demin, Memphis (4 balls used)
needles: size 7 Knit Picks Options
started: September 12, 2007
completed knitting: October 6, 2007
buttons sewn on in November 2007

Somehow in all of the craziness of school, I’ve also managed to get a lot of knitting done on the Martha sweater. So much so that in the last two weeks, I knitted the second front of the cardigan. Now on to the sleeves. It’s absolutely beautiful and I can’t wait to finish it. (Photos of the progress to come soon.)

So I wrote this post with the intent of having a few photos only for me to come down with something. I’m hoping it’s the 24-hour head cold but I’m fearing it’s not.

Wow, despite the fact that I have a ton of school work to do, several projects seem to be working themselves together. Knitting on the bus and during class breaks has proved to be quite fruitful in the knitting department.

First, the first sock of the Waving Lace socks is finished complete with a toe already kitchener stitched together. A new record for me, I stitched up the toe the same night that I finished knitting the sock.

This afternoon as I was relaxing a bit, I finished the back of the Martha sweater. Tonight at knitting, I did a three-needle bind-off of the shoulders and started the second front of the cardigan.

Since these projects have been coming together so nicely, my urge to start something new has waned, which is definitely a good thing. I still really want to make the Tweedy Vest and K at knit night started a new pair of mittens another project that sounds really fun. Plus I have a pair of long fingerless gloves I need to make my sister for her birthday that was last month. I’ve decided that this year I’m not even going to attempt to knit any holiday gifts. The thought of Christmas being less than 50 days away is nauseating. So many fun projects that I want to make and I want to get back into spinning. I haven’t touched my wheel since Mother’s Day weekend, how sad.

And finally speaking of everything coming together at the right time. Moving my website over to the new domain name was quite easy and only took me a few hours of headaches. :) At least it’s done and when the old domain name goes away on November 17th or 18th, I don’t have to worry about losing anything. Plus I completely backed up everything before I moved it over. If you’re wondering where Candles in Kites came from and whether it has any significance, it doesn’t. Bryan came up with it on Sunday morning after we’d been talking about domain names for a while, it’s just one he threw out there that I liked.