theraineysisters knitting and so much more

I wrote this post pre-operatively to be posted post-operatively!  😉

I knitted up a second Braided Glory immediately after the first.  I really enjoyed the pattern and also wanted to experiment with different yarn.  I combed the shops and my own thoughts for the perfect yarn and finally landed on Madeline Tosh DK in color Tart — a blackish red that looks exactly like Bing cherries:

I also saw the back of the capelet as a blank canvas, waiting for more to happen.  I had already purchased Leaving by Anne Hanson (a gorgeous pattern in queue) and thought the bold lace insert would look great on the back.  I adapted it slightly to fit the back.  My goal was to look as good “leaving” as I did arriving.  ::groan::

Here are the results:

I still used the same “kitten paw” pattern on the sides and fronts — too much thinking to try to come up with something different! 

Several of you commented on my previous Braided Glory and said my version seemed less “droopy” than others.  That has a lot to do with the yarn.  This one, in softer, drapier yarn, is definitely droopier than the one in Nashua Creative Focus Linen.  But I think it still works and it fits just like the first one did.

PS: Janet asked about the blocking phase.  Here it is being blocked (and it REALLY takes a long time to dry!):

And another shot “in process:”

My surgery went fine — they did not need to graft additional tendon and so it was a simpler procedure.  The nerve block kept me pain free all day yesterday, but I think it is starting to wear off…

I love our readers!  Your kind and HELPFUL comments meant a lot to me.  Hubby is waiting on me literally hand and foot, but he will need to go to work at some point!  One of his co-workers had surgery on the same day I did, so he could not take off a lot of time.  I am using a knee scooter instead of crutches (though I do have a pair) and already took a tumble off one of the crazy steps in our house — almost every room is “sunken!”   Not a great set up for the old or infirmed!

I am able to knit and I am LOVING my Taygete.  Madeline Tosh Light should be considered a controlled subsance!  I have a stack of projects to work on so I should be set to go.  Thanks for your kind thoughts and well wishes!

PS — Ronna asked for a picture of my knee scooter:

I need to add a basket or something for hauling my stuff…you know me, I do not travel light!

Ugh.  You may recall from last year that I injured my ankle when a cup fell out of my cupboard, broke, and hit my ankle right at the Achilles Tendon.   The broken cup shaved my tendon like a potato peeler, leaving a small ball of tendon and scar tissue that will not dissolve and causes daily discomfort.  Whine.  Anyway, I am having surgery tomorrow to debride the damaged tissue and repair the tendon.  Sounds simple enough…not.  Well, the surgery is probably routine, but the recovery phase is ridiculous!

Two weeks with my foot above my heart for 23 hours a day, with hourly ice packing, and hourly leg pumping to prevent blood clots.  Four more weeks without weight bearing.  Four more weeks with a walking boot.  I am all about putting my feet up and relaxing, but this is just crazy 🙁 .

I have been spending the last few days getting ready for my convalescence — mostly winding balls of yarn!!  Thousands of yards of yarn!  One must be prepared! 😉

I also started a smallish project that should keep me knitting the first few days: Taygete by Romi Hill (Tay-EE-jet-ay).  I purchased some lovely Madeline Tosh Light in Wood Violet and Magenta at Yarnover (from StevenBe).   It was supposed to be for gifts for other people.  I looked at the yarns together and fell in love — they were much more eye popping than the combo I bought specifically for Taygete.  So, I said to myself, “Self.  This is YOUR yarn.  You can use it for whatever you want.”   The colors positively G-L-O-W in the sunlight!  The other yarn has less yardage so I will be hunting for cute shawlette patterns that take < 400 yds., but I have until Christmas to get those done.

I figure that the first couple of days I will be flat on my back and kind of out of it.  I will have my laptop stationed next to me, as well as my instant stream Netflix and a few easy-read novels.  

Sally will need to bear the brunt of blogging for a while, so be kind to her while I get back on my feet foot.  See ya on the other side!!

Heard yesterday: “They’re making jokes about The Rapture like there’s no tomorrow!”

I’m sure I speak for Sally when I say thank you to everyone for the lovely comments and kind words about our mother.   That’s all for now!!

If we follow the logic of Sally’s recent post, we are our mother’s FOs!  As loyal readers may remember, we lost our mother two years ago right about this time.  We both think of her often and her loss left a hole that will never be filled.  This is the picture we shared of her from her wedding day:

The dress is gorgeous.  We brought it back with us, but it had been ravaged by time.  The black and white photo above does not do the color justice and you cannot see all of the love and perfection our grandmother put into it.  The dress is pale pink organza.  Here are some detailed shots:

The Back

The buttonholes are hand sewn

The deep hem

We can’t call our mom today, but she  — and both of our grandmothers — are still in our hearts.  Happy Mother’s Day to you and yours.

Today is my “baby girl’s” birthday; she turns 25. She’s smart, beautiful, and kind. You’ve seen her on these pages modeling some of my creations. E.g.:

She’s a fierce competitor, which I admire very much. Here is a photo of her in last week’s Tour of Gila in New Mexico.

Happy Birthday, Nora!!!

::Groan::  Sally refused to even be associated with a blog post with this title!   However, she is represented!   These are our “matching” Holden Shawlettes — a beautiful pattern found F-R-E-E on Ravelry!  The shawls are a speedy knit, look gorgeous when worn because of the eye-catching scallops, and show off that single skein of sock or fingering weight yarn you bought for the color.

My Holden is knit from Madeline Tosh Light in Color Flashdance (the yarn I bought recently at StevenBe’s — shop hop).  Sally’s is in Viola Fancy Sock in the color Sea Storm.  Sally and I both did a modification described by others on Ravelry: we stopped 2 rows short before starting the feather and fan chart: 189 sts instead of 193, and then worked all of the pattern repeats in the identical manner (in the original pattern, one repeat has two extra sts = 4 total for both sides).  I was concerned with yardage and may not have had enough without the changes.  Sally did the same, but had a lot of yarn left over.

I think I will be making a lot more of these as gifts.  They are a very quick knit and really show off the yarn and the wearer’s sense of fashion.  Fast and beautiful…what more do you want?

We are nothing if not givers.  Always giving.  Always thinking of others.  Take the economy.  We have to do our part, and we take that very seriously.  Very. Seriously.  Tirelessly, in fact.

Sally arrived last Thursday for Yarnover* and we have worked at doing our patriotic duty nonstop ever since.   Not all of the yarns pictured were purchased since Thursday but they are very recent acquisitions.  🙂

*Yarnover purchases indicated by asterisk

1- This was actually an investment in class time: these skeins are Sally’s hand dyed yarns!  She made them in a class she took at Fibre Space in Alexandria.  From Susan: they are gorgeous and very “buyable” if that is a word!

*2- Susan bought these skeins of Berocco Cotton Twist at Yarnover: she saw a special someone wearing “Braided Glory” and thought this was the same yarn…unfortunately not, but she is hoping it will work anyway.  The wrap is a show stopper.

*3- We LOVE Madeline Tosh Light and bought a lot of it!!  Some of these colors are for gifts…
(some were bought at Yarnover and some elsewhere)

*4- Sally tried on a darling swing jacket in Schulana Mosco in at StevenBe’s Yarnover booth and just had to have it — and buttons to boot.

5- Susan thought that Jared Flood needed some additional reassurance about his recent foray into yarn development, so she bought enough Shelter (color Nest) to make his new design Brownstone for DH for Christmas (give, give, give!!).  ETA: Sorry — no Shelter at Yarnover!  Sally brought it with her from DC (purchased at Fibre Space!).

6- Supporting the independents: Dye for Wool in a deep denim sock weight.

*7- Supporting more small dyers: Sun Valley Fiber Farm — this booth was filled with stunning yarns.  We bought several colors in order to make this design by Romi Hill.  Romi was at Yarnover so we wanted to show our support for her as well!  Mapleweave was wearing Taygete in two stunning colors so we dragged her to the booth and tried our luck at coming up with winning combinations!

8- Susan bought a Chart Keeper from KnitPicks.  Great invention!

9- What can you say?  Sanguine Gryphon’s Gaia Laceweight in color Lobstrosity…oh my!  The color is indescribeable.

10- Malabrigo Sock in color Ochre…for a stealth project.

11- Susan bought this “green” yarn for the Summer Solstice Cardigan and is loving it — this will be a workhorse sweater to wear every day.  Ethical Twist in color Oatmeal.

*12- Another stunner from Sun Valley Fiber Farms in merino and cashmere.

Oh yeah.  We also attended Yarnover. 😉

Yarnover was a huge event this year — celebrating its 25th year.  25 stellar instructors, 400 participants, 40 vendors in a bustling marketplace.   The gift for participants was especially nice this year for the silver anniversary: silver needle gauge necklaces.  We worked the event so came home exhausted. 

The highlight for both of us was being approached by our readers with a greeting, “Hi, I read your blog!”  We LOVED it!!  Sally leaves today after a whirlwind weekend.