Perspicacity

 I love a big project. I plan for months, hoard yarn and make piles of patterns to choose from. Some people only knit little accessories, but I like to read heavy tomes, practice for big concerts, and knit big sweaters. This has been an extra big project. And I'm close to being done. One sweater away. But this sweater, which I cast on April 10 has been slowly growing next to my chair where we watch TV. This is for nephew #8.
I have an extra large soaking basin because these boys are all over 6 foot 2. Plus my old basin was used to clean D's work shoes when he had to trudge through "sticky donkey poo". I let him have the basin for his own after that. I'm generous that way.

 Here lies the "Ins and Outs" sweater of Diamond Tempo Chunky (with the just right 25% wool)on the newly vacuumed carpet. I decided to block the pieces before I sewed them because I read your blogs and I am trying to heed your advice. I also crocheted the side seam. Very slick. Especially good because the first time I sewed the sleeves to one another. It comes out like a zipper. But it stays after you weave in all the ends.
There is a theme to these sweaters: cables, plain colours and long arms.

Sorry about making you crick your neck. I turned the photo but it didn't take. With computers, I don't have to do it again a different way. I just wait and do it the same way and it might work. No logic there.
Because the sweater is ribbed, I hope it will fit this young man who will turn 22 next month. He's tall and slim, but he's pretty buff, too. He works in the bush, so maybe this could be his apres work hanging out and chillin' sweater. He has a girlfriend, so I should get some extra points from her, as long as she doesn't steal it (I think my BIL lost a sweater to a fellow med student, but I really liked her). There is a Karma to sweaters. The investment is not lost as long as the sweater is loved.
My next one finishes the nephew project with my own godson. I look forward to checking it off my to do list, but I feel bittersweet about turning to new projects. I would feel regret if I had not reached out to these special men who are sons of my sisters, and of course the awesomeness that is my only niece on my side. I have the yarn and pattern ready to go for the last sweater, as soon as I get some Christmas knitting finished.
It takes a lot of persistence, stick-to-it-tiveness, perspicacity.

Blustery Bustle

The wind is dancing with the leaves. It has been rather dry (until it rains like a monsoon) and we have leaves like the rest of Canada, instead of the brown mush in the gutters that can be our norm.
I have been delving into music with 2 choirs and playing bass guitar at church. Gotta love U2! I also lead 2 drumming workshops this weekend and it was as inspiring and exciting as it was exhausting.
I was loaned a DVD series, Injustice by BBC and knit my way through the 5 episodes in 2 nights.
D was away and I could indulge.
I am very close to finishing the cabled nephew sweater, but then I start the finishing. I think I'll try to crochet the long seams as Carin, from Round the Twist, did on her Strange Moon sweater.
I am almost done the second robot mitten. Two more in slightly different blues.
I am knitting the 18th of 24 little mittens for my Christmas Banner/Advent Calendar.
I have a list of Christmas knitting that I thought was small, but was really just incomplete.
Yoga this morning, and hopefully 2-3 times a week. I am improving and need the encouragement to keep moving. The big black dog also likes to move, but her walks are getting shorter as she ages and her hips become more sore. My sister lost her golden retriever last week, same age as my Carly, and we are sad for her and for our own future. But we'll keep playing with her and enjoying her companionship.
How else would I find myself in a field of autumn leaves?

Love and Affection

 Autumn has arrived with its colour changes, cooler rain and foggy mornings. I was ready for this. It was a rather difficult summer for me with aches and pains and hot flashes. Thank goodness for Bikram Yoga because you can't tell if you're having a hot flash. I didn't go often enough last month and I am so glad to be back. I may have sore muscles from exercising, but having no muscles hurts much more in the long run. And some of  my 12 hour shifts could be considered the long run.

 Emily's anemone is blooming bravely. She broke up with her boyfriend and, though we are sad for her, we are proud of her adult behaviour. Like her flower, she is both delicate and strong.

 Me, I'm being a kid and knitting robot mittens of love. Love this pattern! I've knit them a bit too tightly, but they will be warm for one of my 2 year old grand nephews. I hope to make another pair, a little different for the other boy. This may slightly ruin the surprise for my readers, but the great nephews aren't reading yet (that I'm aware of). I celebrate their brash boyishness.

The Colour Affection is cast off. I made a mistake in the wrap and turn rows by knitting past just 2 stitches (including the wrapped stitch) so it's much longer. Math gone awry! I struggled with the three yarns all wrappy and misbehaved. I should have talked to my friends when I couldn't figure out the instructions. When I knew I made a mistake and still had to persevere through long rows, I lost a bit of steam. Disheartening. But it was too much knitting to rip out.
It is still beautiful yarn and colours, but it has this awkward tentacle-like appendage on one side. Ew. When I wrap it, I hope to disguise it.
I am over shawls. Every skein of yarn I buy, I dream of what shawl it can be. But I miss socks, and guess what, I have lovely sock yarn that no longer wants to be shawls. Some of it wants to be mittens!
I love the Ravelry search option that allows me to search the patterns in my own library. Time to stop always reaching for the new and shiny. What do I have that I already love? Right now I love mittens, so don't be shocked if you see a few more. I am onto Christmas knitting. It always starts as a short list and morphs to take all my time.
Just finished tiny mitten number 16 for the banner.
After the robot mittens, and nephew number 8 sweater I dream of knitting.... surprises.
In the new year I will cast on for a baby blanket and a shawl for a choir friend. And a blue sweater for myself, probably Twist, because I only have about 6 sweaters worth of blue wool. I already have the sweater and it's very close to the Cassidy I knit from the same designer. Repetition is a good practice for improving my knitting and my fitting.
Practice love and blogging.

Giving Thanks

 It's Thanksgiving in Canada. I made turkey stew and today I make biscuits so we can have a laid back meal with out kids and their friends. There are pies and carrot cake, too. I'm planning to get some strawberry sorbet so we can drizzle it in tequila and call it Marguerita.

The corn is being harvested. But the brussel sprouts are not. Apparently we buy American brussel sprouts for our Thanksgiving, and they buy ours for theirs. Don't you think that's a nice neighbourly arrangement? No brussel sprouts in my house, thanks.

 Plums and apples and dahlias, oh my. Go for the Ambrosia apples! They are even better than the Jonagolds.

 Last weekend was a bit scary with the civic taking a hit. An old lady blew through a red light and crashed into my baby (not the aggressive language). Everyone was OK but we are in a rental car for the foreseeable future. I am so thankful that there were no injuries and the little car can be fixed.

 There has been a bit of knitting. Mostly working 12 hour shifts and feeling so tired. But I want to get through the 3 colour section on the Colour Affection because it's too fiddly. The last section is just charcoal. The weather has changed a bit. It's still dry, but cooler, so I could actually wear this, plus socks, plus my new boots. Thanks.

And because of the newspaper coverage, we are inundated with scarves for the Christmas Dinner at the Salvation Army. I had to go after work to knit night on Tuesday and I helped a lady tink back her fuzzy poncho, and another to turn a heel on her toe up sock. What a great community we live in. There are knitters out there who are as hungry to connect as I have been.
My friends are back from their month in Italy, safe and tired. Great thanks.
Tonight is just feasting, tomorrow is feasting. We are so grateful!