Just a Little Bit Country . . .

No, I'm not really a fan of country music--always preferred alternative rock.  Actually referring to country life.  Thus far, all is good.  Waiting to close the deal on the sale of our old home, but the place has been emptied and cleaned (not perfectly, but she's done).

Pooh Bear Keeping Watch on Our Front Porch

This is the first weekend we've been able to spend in our new home--no traveling, no moving, no cleaning.  Have I mentioned how much I dislike moving?  Talk about stressful!  And it sure leaves a body feeling out-of-place and out-of-sorts.  Hoping I don't have to move again for a long, long time.  There's still quite a bit of unpacking to do (as evidenced by the number of boxes in and 'round the house), but we're slowly getting through them.

Piles of Boxes in Back Porch Area

The day greeted me with a bright sun in a clear blue sky.  So I got the clothes out on the line (I need one of those do-hickeys that keep the clothesline from drooping to the ground).  

There's nothing like being outside whilst hanging fresh, clean clothes: the warm sun beating on your face; the clean air fragranced by pine trees, wildflowers and damp grass; the quiet interrupted by the sing-song of birds.  I just love it! 


Even mindless, ordinary tasks become soothing and relaxing.  Since I can't walk to work anymore, I've taken to mowing the lawn with my handy-dandy push mower in the evenings before supper.

Handy-Dandy Push Mower

Funny thing about push mowers: I was just reading in the latest issue of Hobby Farms that a push mower is a great green option for lawn care if you've got less than a 1/4 acre.  It beats going to the gym!  And its cheaper too.  Lucky for me, I've got just about 1/4 acres of cleared green space (although I'm gonna need a small, used tractor to clear off the little used fields that will become my garden space come spring--hoping to do that before too long)

By the way, thought I'd mention that I'm still without internet connection (I'm writing this at the local university campus while the kids go to swim class).  Suffering a wee bit of internet withdrawal 'cuz I use the internet for so much.  And I'm soooooo missing my beloved Restaurant City game on Facebook . . . .maybe this week will see me back online.

Later,
:)

Progress of Bohus Redux

Sooooo, what do you think?

Bohus Redux In Progress

I'm lovin' the colour section.  Very pleased how it turned out.  The hard part will be to re-produce it in chart form when I decide to release the pattern (I'm sure I'll think of something).


Sorry my progress photo isn't indicative of my actual progress (I've actually separated the sleeves from the body and am working some waist shaping).  I haven't had a chance to photograph a proper update.  Making matters more difficult is the wait for internet connection at home (I'm actually updating this post from a motel room 'cuz I've gone away to the valley for a wedding . . .. but I digress).


How goes your knitting?  Hoping you have a good week.
Later,
:)

Happy Thanksgiving :)

To all my Canadian readers, hope you're enjoying the long weekend with family and friends.  And be sure to count your blessings.

Fall Display photo courtesy of stock.xchng

We've been blessed with a great opportunity this fall.  This move to a place in the country is an opportunity to try our hand at homesteading.  We want to raise some livestock and grow as much of our own food as possible.  Eventually we'd like to get off the grid . . . but that's for the future.  Little steps.


Have a great Thanksgiving!

Paint 'n Stuff

Yup, still packing.  This weekend is "D-Day" (although it should really be called M-Day--M for moving).  We've already started moving stuff into the new house (I use the word "new" loosely as the house is about 125 years old--hee, hee).  So most of my precious time has been spent packing and/or painting.

Paint Stuff

I managed a wee bit of knitting--and I do mean wee 'cuz I'd knit a row or two each day and that would be it.  At the very least, my Bohus Redux is ready for the sleeves to be separated from the body.  And if the weather would cooperate, I could post an updated photo . . . maybe next time.

Too Much Stuff!

You don't realize how much stuff you have until its time to move it.  Right now, I'm up to my eyeballs in cardboard.  Boxes, that is.  Everywhere I look, there are heaps and heaps of boxes: filled boxes, empty boxes and folded boxes.  And I've only just begun packing, tackling a few bookcases or cupboards each night . . . .my heavens but we've got loads of stuff!

Folded Cardboard Waiting to Become Boxes

Next weekend will be Thanksgiving in Canada.  That'll give us three days to move all our stuff into the farmhouse.  I'm feeling a wee bit over-whelmed (one of us is a hoarder collector and I'm guessing its not me--unless its craft related). 

Boxes Filled With Stuff

The hard part, of course, will come after the move: all that stuff will need to be unpacked! Eeek! And we'll also have to super-clean our old place before the buyers take possession . . . so much work!  Sadly, no time for knitting. :S

Organic Design

So in "designing" my own version of Bountiful Bohus, I've had to rip out more than once.  Pictured below is my fourth cast-on (not too frustrating since each time I only got as far as just past the collar). In refining the increases and stitch counts, I'm hoping for a good fit. 

Burgeoning Bohus

As for the colourwork, I'm reworking that too.  After swatching the original pattern, I decided to modify (not too keen on the purls).  Using knitter's graph paper (googling will net quite a few free sites), I pulled out my pencil crayons and coloured.  And if the colours didn't "feel right", I changed things whilst knitting.  Guess the pattern is more organic than planned. But it looks awfully purty. ;) 


So far, so good.

Bohus Lament

Soooo after I attached the second sleeve, I started to have this vague feeling in the pit of my belly: a mixture of doubt and dread.  Something wasn't quite right with the Bohus.  Not sure the thing will fit; it seemed just a wee bit too short and a wee bit too wide.  Bottom-ups are hard to try on (ask me how I know).  I was so tempted to just rip, rip, rip  . . . 


While reading about the adventures of other knitters, how many times has a crafter ignored her gut feelings and tarried on, only to be sorry in the end.  Lesson learned: never be afraid to rip.  Its just yarn.  Yet despite trusting my gut, I still couldn't summon up the courage to rip out all that work.  Instead I put it aside, and then perused Ravelry.  My search for the Holy Grail  turned up nothing.

The Swatch

Discouraged, I looked through my bag of yarn.  The navy looked yummy next to the teal, grass and grape . . . then I heard a whirring and whizzing in my brain.  My heart jumped a little.  What if I designed my own top-down yoked cardi that contained many of the stylish elements of the Bountiful Bohus?  Grabbing some needles and a fresh ball of Softee Chunky, I started swatching.  When I was happy with the fabric, I meandered over to a top-down calculator.  After punching in my gauge, out came a raglan pattern.  Then I found a couple of bottom-up patterns in bulky weight with yoked tops.  Now I had the tools to reverse-engineer a yoked sweater using the stitch counts from the top-down calculator.  Sound complicated? Maybe, but I just know in my gut its gonna work.