Just Jot It January, Endurance

This post is brought to you by Linda G. Hill, Just Jot it January, and Destiny! Please be sure to check out her blog.

For Just Jot it January, click the following link to see how you, too, can join in! https://lindaghill.com/2023/01/09/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-9th-2023/ It’s fun!

Occasionally I share projects I’m working on, or have finished. This picture goes with the posts.

Why? Because despite me, ADD, arthritis, and other obstacles, things get done. And I feel glad. Endurance is a similar word. Hands hurting is something to be endured, even if the hobby is enjoyable. So here’s my latest batch of projects in various stages of completeness.

Done! This is a small adult. I love working with the magical Fair
Isle yarn from Willows.

And I love the pattern featured below with ChiaoGoo red-lace circulars size 6 needle.

The dragon is coming along. About 1/3 finished. Lots of eye blurring black.

I’ve been working on these for quite a while. The HiyaHiya Fliers and ChiaoGoos are tiny and hurt if I spend too much time on them but, progress!

These are nearing the cuff stage so may be finished soon.

These are at cuffs now, so finished product may happen before long.

Started another hat. This is the pattern. The Fair Isle yarn from Willow is so soft!

Endurance of lack of Internet or streaming services is the hardest part of all of this. I need the distraction. And the chance to work on the web, especially GoodReads and the reviews I need to write. This is endurance. We may be up and running tomorrow when our local Internet fixer will come by. 🤞

Finishing Friday

As I promised the finished hat, now in the charity bag.

ChiaoGoo circular needles made this easy.

Heels are happening now.

Kali is helping me pose the picture but I couldn’t reach the other sock due to the puppers. In fact, the CinDWood fine-gauge loom has half the heel done.

Shoot. I can’t show you the other double pointed needle socks that are also at heel stage. I need my tutoring session to learn how to ‘turn a heel’.

Okay Word Count calls. Currently at 5,441 so I still need lots more before bedtime. See ya tomorrow!

Review: The Hat Lady and her Animals by Gita V. Reddy

The Hat Lady and her Animals by Gita V. Reddy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fun little story with plenty of lessons. A story in kindness. A story of using your talents to help others. A story about yarn skills.

By the way, Darlene only knits in this case. The yarn comes from, and finished products go to Hugger Hats. Those amazing ladies in the group are the ones that collect yarn and distribute the finished toys and hats to the needy. But I understand keeping it simple for the story’s sake.

I have to admit to being more than uncomfortable seeing my name in the story. But once I got used to it, I loved what the author was trying to convey.

Though the toys in the story were not the ones I made, I would love to put patterns in the book for those who wanted to learn. Many children love knitting. I was twelve when I learned to crochet and knit.

The little stuffed animals were adorable. Easy the pup was my favorite. But the cat couple was so sweet. I can’t wait for the Hugger Hats to see this story more about the group than about any one person.

View all my reviews

Finishing Friday

Well, I did finish a couple things.

Yay! My favorite hat yet! And it fits me. That makes it hard to put in the charity bag. Someone will like it to I hope.

This is the leftover yarn.

These are the ChiaoGoo circular needles I used in the last three hats. The upper right is US 7 24 inch. The right is US 8 16 inch. The left is my favorite and made this last hat. US 8 40 inches. When it was time to decrease I could magic circle a couple times to make it easier.

I hope you can read this. I finally found this pattern. It was the one I memorized early on and kept it in the ole noodle. LOL!

I started one more hat. I may be playing yarn chicken. Hope I have enough.

This is more info than I wanted to share as someone who likes bamboo socks will know.😉

Sock on the right HOTL (Hot Off The Loom). The purple yarn is from The Willows a local yarn shop. It is so soft. The white is leftovers from another project. It it thicker but good for toes and heels. The fuzzy yarn of the cuff is from a friend. I’m not sure I’d like it next to my skin but leggings might be nice under. Keep or gift, that is the question. LOL!!!

Progress on Daisies.

Making Monday

I wish I could say I finished something but, nope. Still I like seeing progress. A couple things are getting close.

Tomorrow I’ll finish Starry Night. So few uncovered symbols (lower left, blues).

The next two hats are nearing the decreasing section.

The scrappy slipper socks are at the cuff stage.

I’m feeling more confident with my HiyaHiya Fliers. Half the cuff of sock number one is done. These are so thin, like wires. This is meant to be a small sock. I only have this one skein so this may be just a first try. I think I shared the YouTube a few days ago. The hard part of watching is the presenter is using continental knitting. It’s been a while since I tried that so I’m having to learn using my right hand against learning as she uses her left hand.

I hate/love following my passion. There are only so many hours a day and somethings get lost in the shuffle. Like recorders and pianos and singing. Like writing and editing. Like other artwork. I miss those pursuits. Like old friends and family. Yet the knitting is calling. I barely put half an hour on the diamond painting. I’m putting in about the same on the treadmill. It’s something! More than I’d get done otherwise.

Making Monday

Well, I made the mistake of working on my knitting all day and forgot to blog or do my Duolingo. At least I had a ‘freeze’ on Duo, so I still have the count of 1,146 days. But I bet I am back to day one here on WordPress. I was heading for the 300. I’m so disappointed!

Slipper socks are coming along, and I love them so much more on the Flexee fine-gauge loom.

This hat is coming along. It won’t be long now until the decreasing crown.

I started a brand new little hat. I love working on circular needles.

This hat is close to the end of the brim.

This is the bear that took all my time and concentration. Knitting is the fun part. I hate the next part, sewing and stuffing. But I think he will be cute.

These are the double-ended but not needles that I used for the bear. These were my mom’s. I think she chose to make single-ended needles out of many doubles. Sorry for the dog hair. Kali share’s her wealth!

Here’s a close-up of the gobs of gum or putty that she had on the ends. They are on there pretty tight, and it looks shiny, whatever it was.

Nearly done with Starry Night!

Guess who needs a haircut! Yep, me!

Finishing Friday

This is the feet and pants of the bear I’m learning to knit. See yesterday’s blog for the YouTube.

By the way, see the end of the needles? These were part of a little box my mom gave me decades ago. I don’t know what the gob is. Maybe putty? Gum? And I’m not sure but that these may be ivory from the days when we did such horrors as chop of elephant tusks for our knitting or makeup supplies. Still, it is cool to have inherited my mother’s needles.

This will be another hat.

This little squiggly doll was made a year or so ago. I don’t like stuffing and sewing so he went into the WIP cave of lost souls. But my daughter’s new interest in knitting toys gave me a boost to try and finish him. I need to stuff and sew on the arms and give him a hat or hair and a face.

Two hats

Frogged and remounted socks.

A lapdog that wouldn’t let me knit.❤️

On my last third of the diamond painting.

This and That

Found on Facebook

Progress, though slow.

This yarn was too thick for this project. The G size crochet hook is larger than this yarn. Besides it was hurting my arms and shoulders working this tight. So it’s been frogged.

So now this KB loom will be making a hat.

As will the cable needles and the Flexee fine-gauge loom. I guess I’m on a hat kick. But I really want to work on socks.

I hope you have a great week.

Experiment in Knitting

With the shoulder hating me, I am doing less Diamond Painting.

The upper fourth(?) is almost done. The left corner will be finished tomorrow. I just have to be happy with small successes.

Meanwhile, the hobby that hurts the least is needle knitting. Even loom knitting hurts if I do too much.

I’m experimenting on two knitted hats. The one on the Flexee fine-gauge loom is an inch longer. I’ll need to make the needle hat longer to catch up. But each have the same amount of cast-on and stitches. Well, the Flexee one has two-by-two ribbing on the brim as opposed to one-by-one. Needle knitting is slower for me but I feel good about how it looks. I’m curious to see if they will be comparable in size when done.

Same yarn. Much more pure white than cell shows.

I do have a couple pairs of socks in the works but they’re a bit too painful. It is the yarn and pattern I was using before the shoulder thing that is making it hard. If it were a good sock yarn it wouldn’t be so difficult.

Scrappy slipper socks

The plastic markers need to be remounted onto the pegs. That will make a picot top to the brim. I like how the stitches look so far.

I’m feeling better. I haven’t had to take Advil or use ice all day. And I could do 22 minutes on the treadmill. Not very fast for a mile but something, ya know? Lots of shows to catch up on.

How I feel now. Looks a bit like the walking dead. But I’m just showing how the shoulder feel.

Progress

I’m having to go real slow in small bits on everything.

My other light pad wasn’t big enough so I’ve picked up an A2. I think this is too big. I’ll make it work. Meanwhile the smaller one will be put to use to trace art drawings for painting or coloring. By the way, this was the progress a few days ago.

That little bit in the upper middle is all I’ve gotten done since.

I am finding needle knitting hurts the least so I am doing okay with the brim of this hat.

I started this one before the shoulder/back pain. It should be the same size as the needle knitted hat.

I just got this book. It’s far more advanced in needle knitting than I am currently. But I plan to learn it. And compare with the following book methods for loom socks.

So much to learn. But healing first.