Nighttime Knitting...

 I think I've told you before that I usually work in my studio during the day.

Up until about nine months ago, I would knit in the evening while I

watched television or we listened to music in the living room...

until my arthritic thumbs told me to take a break.

Giving my thumbs a break must have been good for them because the

pain has taken a little vacation and it doesn't hurt when I knit (a bit) these days.

All that being said, I've been able to knit with the girls again at Paneras 

on Tuesday nights and I've made some real progress on this.

The back and both sleeves are finished now, and now I'm in the

 process of knitting the leaf detail along the bottom of the front piece.

I'm not going to overdo it to the point that my hands hurt again, but if I

just work on it a little at a time, I think I can actually finish it soon!

It's time to spend my studio days getting back to the Farmer's Wife blocks,

but for the foreseeable future, I'll have this beautiful yarn in my sights in the evenings.

What are you working on?

Time To Finish This...

It's been over a year since I worked on this sweater. I had been complaining of pain in my hands (I know. I don't complain very often, so you know it really hurt!) I was diagnosed with basal joint arthritis in my thumbs at that time. The doctor offered cortisone shots, but I declined for a number of reasons. He did tell me that the pain would just disappear from time to time, and I figured I'd try to complete this sweater on those days.

Did I say it's been over a year? Some days are diamonds, and some days are crap not, so I've decided it's time to just put on my Big Girl Panties, keep my bottle of Aleve handy, and forge ahead toward the finish.

I already made and finished this sweater in a soft green cotton in March, 2010 and just love it. (I think I wear it waaay too often actually.) I think an ivory bamboo will be perfect to wear with just about anything, and give my green version a break from time to time.

The sleeves are already finished, and I'm nearly done with the back, so I'm going back to complete the front and then assemble the pieces. Time to stop twiddling my thumbs and make 'em do something useful! I'm not one to sit around feeling sorry for myself, and if this is how my hands are going to be, then these are the hands I'll work with. I'll keep you posted.

Bamboo Sweater Progress...

I spent Sunday working on my studio decor in anticipation of Where Bloggers Create II, so I have no photos of the quilt to show you today. However, when the studio project was finished, I just didn't have the concentration to work on the quilt. Instead, I decided I'd better get back to knitting on my Bamboo Sweater if I want to be able to wear it in Wisconsin when I travel to my cousin's wedding the end of this month.

I'll be back to sewing on the quilt today, so I promise to show you what my quilt top looks like in Tuesday's post.

Thanks to everyone for leaving messages for Kes. She really enjoyed reading what everyone had to say, and made a point of showing me how popular she was. She was so darn cute, I just didn't have the heart to holler at her. But I did make her do some recycling to teach her a lesson! (One of these days, I'll photograph her hard at work on keeping us "greener". I think you'll really get a kick out of it.)

Please Don't Shed On My Knitting...

Two sleeves are finished and I've started on the back of the sweater now.
I loved this sweater pattern in green cotton (remember?),
so I know I'm going to love it in creamy, soft bamboo.

I started this sweater during the wedding gown project, and this is how
much I've managed to accomplish so far. The pattern and I
are so well acquainted that it's really a fun sweater to knit.

I'm already working on the ribbing, so that part will skip right along!

Kes has company for the next few days (or more). Our good friend, Richard, made an emergency trip to the hospital Thursday night, and had to leave Stout behind at home. He (Richard, not Stout), then called us this morning to ask us to go and liberate his dog, who'd probably been crossing his legs for hours awaiting his master's return. So, at 6:30 Friday morning, Handsome and I brought Stout home to stay with us for a while.

The two Labs are good friends, and have spent lots of time together, so Kes is glad to have him around...as long as he doesn't try to play with her toys, and as long as he stays well clear of her food dish! Besides, she really thinks he's kind of a debonair fellow! (Just look at his way with the ladies.) Kes loves 'em tall, dark and mysterious. This ought to be fun.

Just One Of Those Days...

This is my latest project. I've already finished the back and have attempted the sleeves twice so far...and I've ripped them back twice, too.

I decided to put it aside for a little while. I'm not sure why the sleeves aren't working out for me right now. The pattern for the sleeves is different from the pattern for the front and back (in the photograph). For some reason, once I start the increases, I mess up the design. I'm really a little frustrated, as I had hoped to be finished with the sweater by now. I want to get those sleeves worked out and done! Perhaps another day...

Consort Photos And A Sweater Update...

I just had to share a few photos from the
final days of the Williamsburg Consort week with you.
First, Handsome in his Consort uniform...

Handsome played in a separate Dixieland Ensemble comprised of Consort members. They performed at a local nursing home, where they were warmly received. A few of the residents even got up and danced!
They also performed for the other musicians at two different receptions, and warmed up the crowd coming in to watch the America Alive Concert featuring the entire Consort on Thursday evening. That concert was held at the high school in Williamsburg and they performed to a packed house!

One of the guest soloists was a talented trumpet player named Ken Watters.
I've made his name a link to the Watters brothers website so you can read more about them.
(But don't go away yet!)
See Handsome in the percussion section behind him? Yup! That's my guy!

The female soloist of the evening was the incomparable Maggie Worsdale.
She and Ken performed the showstopper "Cornet Man".
Beginning with her walking onstage in her outrageous outfit,
to the interplay between her and Ken -
fully supported by the Williamsburg Consort -
they nearly brought the house down.
Here's a link to clips of some her music on her website.

I apologize that I don't have concert music to share with you yet. We'll be getting a dvd of Thursday evening's performance very soon. I promise to post a link to this particular number featuring Ken and Maggie as soon as it arrives, so that you get the essence of what you missed!

Finally, I am currently completing the second sleeve of the sweater I started on this trip. I'll be putting it together over the weekend and will model my finished piece for you early next week.
Friday we were on our way home to Florida. We settled into a brand new La Quinta in Pooler, Georgia (about 10 miles from Savannah). We'll be home later today. We're already planning our trip back to Williamsburg next year. We had an absolute ball - and I wish each and every one of you could have seen the performances on Thursday. Makes my heart full just thinking about it.

She's Just Wild About Yellow...

It took longer than expected, but I finally finished the yellow sweater requested by my youngest sister, Jan.

You see, I knitted this pattern once for myself, and I have a difficult time doing a large project more than once...but she fell in love with my sweater ("Oh, pleeeezz, Donnie. Pleeeezz, would you make one for meeee?"). How could I resist that? In spite of the fact that she's shorter (and smaller) than I, she wanted the exact size that I had knit for myself...but she's just wild about yellow...there really was no other color choice for her sweater.

This is the Sally Melville "Sally Sweater" from The Knit Book. I made mine in Tahki Cotton Classic, but Jan's is knit in Bernat Cotton Tots, making it a bit bulkier and softer. Jan lives in Wisconsin, so she'll get more use from a cotton sweater that's a bit heavier. Everyone who lives there knows that Wisconsin has nine months of winter and three months of poor sledding.

I finished the sweater assembly last night, and carefully put it into a box to ship off today. Jan should have it by Friday or Saturday, and I'll enjoy hearing her squeal over the phone line when she opens it.

I didn't include the knitting needles crafted by my favorite needle embellisher, Tami Steptoe (Designs by Tami). I have needles topped with dogs, sheep and gnomes, as well as sheep stitch markers and a sheepy crochet hook! - all made by her loving (and talented hands). Check out her website at http://www.designsbytami.com/. I've also added her Etsy store to my list so that you can visit her from time to time simply by linking through my blog. I'm warning you now, you might find something in her line you just won't be able to live without.

Don't forget to call me, Jan!!!

BTW-Readers can leave comments without signing in or registering...please just sign your comment so that it doesn't just show up as "anonymous", and I'll know who read my blog.
Joy,
Donna