Yes, I’m still a Rainey Sister. I know it’s been ages since I’ve posted. Poor Susan has been left to do it all while I moved and then recovered (somewhat). A few of you have asked how the move went — what we did right, what we did wrong, what we learned. I’m not sure yet how I’d grade our decisions but I do have a few thoughts.
One thing we did right was to start going through our belongings months ahead of time. We got rid of a LOT of stuff’; we’d been in our house for 20 years and things were stashed everywhere. Sorting became our version of Swedish Death Cleaning, in which you rid yourself of possessions so your heirs don’t have to. Even so, we still had a lot of boxes to move. We could have gotten rid of more.
We chose to move to Boulder before we put our house in DC on the market. We did that so we wouldn’t have to be there while it was being shown. I didn’t want the stress of last minute showings (and constant cleaning), the invasion of privacy, or worrying about small items going missing during an open house. .
It was the right decision for us, but has a few downsides. We are renting, and therefore we know we’ll be moving again. It would have been more fun or exciting to go directly into a new “final” home. We have boxes and boxes of belongings that we don’t want to bother to unpack. I can’t find things when I want them. (I do know where my yarn is.) We don’t feel “settled.” ‘Cause we’re not. On the other hand, renting here gives us time to learn neighborhoods and understand the market here before we look for a new house.
The move itself was very hard. I sobbed when I left our house in DC for the last time. I loved that house. Still do. It was, however, too big for just the two of us. We were too far away from our kids. We could have stayed put and been perfectly happy, but it felt as if it was the right time to make a change. We wanted to move when it was our decision and when we could still enjoy the outdoor life offered by Boulder.
Now that we’ve been here for a few weeks, the upsides are very real. I see my daughter every few days instead of once or twice a year. I’m closer to my son — it will be a short flight to see him on Christmas instead of a full day’s trip. Within six months to a year, when we’ve found a house and gotten into a routine, we’ll be even happier that we’re here.
I just took a walk. Within 5 minutes, I was in the foothills. I even ran into a herd of mule deer.
In the meantime, I have been doing some knitting. I just finished a sweater – – Carol Sunday’s lovely Milkweed Pullover. Some of you may remember that I started her cardigan version of this design years ago. It is beautiful, but it wasn’t flattering on me. I loved the stitch pattern, but set it aside. I was thrilled when she re-worked the central design into a pullover. It’s a much better look on me.
I made very few changes. I reworked the start of the sleeves so that the ribbing flowed into the braided cable. I also put a decorative button at each side of the split hem. I have more of the buttons; I’m trying to decide whether to add a second one. Opinions welcome.
The yarn is Carol Sunday’s Angelic 5-ply, which is heavenly (pun intended). I knit it in the color Bone. The yarn has a lovely halo after blocking and it’s wonderfully soft.
Hi, Sally! Your sweater is lovely! I especially love the ribbing rework where it flows right into the cables. So pleasing to the eye. IMHO I like the one button which is very cool but two might add too much. You certainly don’t want to take anything away from that cableing – it’s magnificent!
So glad you are enjoying Boulder! My daughter lived there for 6 years, then moved to Bozeman, MT. Hated it and moved back to the general area. She is an artist and now works at LIberty Puzzle Co. in Boulder. You might want to stop in there. Amazing puzzles – very high end but lovely! So glad you continue to knit! You and Susan are our models for our knitting in our group at Panera! We love you both! Downsizing is a daunting project but so worth it! Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!
Comment by Kathy W. — December 20, 2017 @ 6:37 pm
Sad to know I won’t run in to you around here anymore!But happy that you are closer to your children.
The sweater is absolutely lovely. I lean more towards 2 buttons, but I’m not much on design, so who knows if you should take my opinion!
Comment by Lee Cockrum — December 20, 2017 @ 8:34 pm
Sally –
It is beautiful! I need to cast on mine, perhaps this Winter.
Moving is tough! But it sounds like being closer to your kids and some drop dead gorgeous scenery makes up for that.
To you and Susan, Happy Holidays and hope to see you both in July at you know where!!
Penny
Comment by Penny — December 21, 2017 @ 11:40 am
<3 <3 <3 <3
Comment by Nora — December 21, 2017 @ 4:03 pm
…If the deer start to run, imperative that you run too!!
Comment by Matthew Olson — December 21, 2017 @ 8:42 pm
Now you’ve done it again- another project to my favs- I love your sweater. I love cables. I hope your DC home sells quickly and that you can settle in your new unknown place. happy holidays.
Comment by Robin F — December 21, 2017 @ 10:08 pm
Such a gorgeous pattern made into a simply gorgeous sweater by you. Now I’ve added Carol Sunday’s name to my list of favorites! Congrats on making the leap of faith and downsizing/moving to another state. A friend of mine has recently done it also – the trauma and heartache fade with time, with the enjoyment of being closer to family now (and a new grandbaby). Happy holidays!
Comment by SHERRY Beason — December 22, 2017 @ 8:23 am
gorgeous sweater!
Comment by Mary Lou — December 22, 2017 @ 5:23 pm
Congratulations on the move, even with the hard parts. Boulder is a great place (I have a good friend there), and being closer to your kids is wonderful, I’m sure. (My daughter & her family are in San Diego, I’m here in the DC area, boo)
The sweater is gorgeous, and I love the buttons! Are they resin-on-image? I think one on each side is just the right amount of lovely surprise, personally. And how clever to have worked the ribbing into the braid. You and Susan are masters of those type of refined detail.
Merry Christmas to you both!
Comment by Anne C. — December 22, 2017 @ 6:20 pm
Your Milkweed is so lovely I can almost reach out and touch it, sigh. Heck, what’s another project on my Must Knit list? I’d go for two buttons, or even three (see my “Maritime” on tigermum’s Ravelry) but I’m also 5ft 11 so the extra buttons might be too much for a smaller frame. It’s a personal decision, one button still looks pretty.
Thank you so much for the moving recap. Swedish Death Cleaning is definitely in my future – I try to throw away at least one item a day, but at this rate it will take 300 years to get organized 🙁 I hope your DC house sells soon. Has your realtor staged it or is it showing empty? I’m already mentally tagging items to move (just a few) and those to ditch.
Comment by Pru Klein — December 28, 2017 @ 2:18 pm
Lovely sweater. I love the cables. Beautiful workmanship. I would put 2 more buttons at the corners of the short sides, and crocheted button loops so they could be used if desired.
Julie in San Diego, where it’s 80 degrees and we’re airing out the house.
Comment by Julie Lanner — December 30, 2017 @ 4:28 pm