I just need an itinerary

This week is going to be a little fancy.  I see that now. We have family friends in from out of town,  and Mum and I will be giving them a little tour of the best of Toronto (sadly, I think they have little interest in yarn shops) and my sister is going out of town for a few days so Hank is coming to stay with us, and I’m going on three training rides this week, and I have two Bike rally meetings in the evenings and… it’s going to be fine, because I am going to get a spreadsheet and an itinerary, and I am going to make magic happen. (Likely I’m also going to finally manage to warp the time space continuum, but it was only a matter of time.)

To that end, I got up very early so that I could do my work and this blog before heading out for the day, and I am now in a position to give you the first official blanket report.

blanket1 2015-05-25

Lo. It is begun.  This blanket begins with the centre, and when it’s all knit, I’ll pick up all around it, and knit the border, and then the edge. You’ll see how it works as we go along.  That blue down there at the bottom is the provisional cast on.  I’ll unzip that later to reveal live stitches, so that both ends have the same amount of stretch.  (I suppose the other way I could get them to match would be to cast on at the bottom, then cast off at the top, and then pick-up stitches all around, but then they wouldn’t be the same as the sides. This is better, I think.) I’ve got a decent chunk of the thing done, just under one balls worth – but Joe was out of town, and I had a big chunk of time.  Expect progress to slow to glacial pace this week.  I have to follow the chart still – though I won’t soon, I can tell that I’m starting to memorize it, but until that happens, this isn’t going to go as quickly. Once I have the pattern in my head, then I can pick it up and do a little here, and a little there, and it will be much faster. (Said she, nervously looking at the date.)

Shall we do Gifts? Absolutely. I’ve got an inbox full, and don’t want to fall behind – I’m going to do as many as I can before I go out the door.  If you don’t know what I’m on about here, read this post, and consider helping Me, Jen, Ken or Pato. Anybody who helps can email me at stephanieATyarnharlotDOTca, with the subject line “I helped” and be on the list for gifts from other knitters. (Don’t forget your name and address. It’s helpful.) We’ll do our best to earn it.

Onward! The first four gifts today come from Deborah F, longtime friend of the blog, and she’s got some beautiful sock yarn to send on to new adventures. First this lovely skein of Pansy, in the colourway Bingo, from Indieway will be going to live with Laura B.

Indieway Pansy Bingo 2015-05-26

Next up she has a very, very pretty skein of Sunshine Yarns, Ardennes and that’s on its way to Shanna H.

Sunshine Yarns Ardennes 2015-05-26

Ah, an old favourite – Two skeins of Koigu KPPPM: PS0465 (I love their romantic colourway names) will be going to live with PJ J.

Koigu KPPPM PS0465  2015-05-26

Finally, I hope Clara B loves self striping sock yarns as much as I do, because this skein of String Theory Continuum in “Exoplanet” will be arriving in her mailbox soon.

stringtheoryextraplanet 2015-05-26

Next, a beautiful shawl kit from Stephanie at Dirty Water Dyeworks.  This is her Brush Creek Shawl Kit,

dyeworksdetail 2015-05-26 dyeworkswholshawl 2015-05-26

and Kendra M will be choosing her favourite colourway. (I love this one.)

Laura, over at The Stashbuckler has a beautiful skein of handspun to give way.

stashbuckler  2015-05-26

It’s 346 yards of a lovely sport weight, and I hope that Katherine T is so happy when she finds out it’s coming to her stash.

Maybe a few patterns would be nice? Wendy O, Lauren P and Lilac will all be choosing their favourite sock pattern from Kino Knits. She has the lovely Simple Cables,

simple cables 2015-05-26

and the gorgeous Four Points Socks. Enjoy, knitters!

fourpoints 2015-05-26

Jocelyn at Decor Noir has a wonderful gift, one of her amazing knitting T-shirts,  either Knit for Brains,

knitforbrains 2015-05-26

Or Knit your heart out will be going to Nancy P in the size of their choice.

knityourheartout 2015-05-26

Whew! That’s ten gifts, and more than I thought I would get done today, and fewer than I’ll do on Friday. I’ve emailed all the recipients, so if you think your name is here, look in your inbox. Thanks for all your support Knitters.  I think you’re great.

(PS. If you sent me an email about giving a gift, and you made the subject line “Karmic Balancing” then I got it. I’ll work my way through, roughly in the order they were sent, and I’ll email you the day before, or the day of when I’ll put it on the blog. It may be a few weeks, so don’t panic early – and thank you.)

39 thoughts on “I just need an itinerary

  1. Way to get your day – and your week! – started with a bang! Blanket looks great, and I hope your fancy week is full of happiness!!

  2. I have a whole new respect for knitters that pick up stitches for blanket edgings. I’ve picked up stitches on socks for years and thought it no big deal, but when you need a specific number of sts on each side and that number is a lot higher than say, 16, it’s not trivial!

  3. wi [2] Amazingly, he brand-new nothing of cheat 8 basketball pool until he
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  4. When you’ve got the time-space continuum thing all figured out, can you please share the secret with the rest of us knitters? good luck on your week, and I agree that your blanket looks great!

  5. I love that kind of blanket construction. I am so addicted to it right now. I am in the midst of a hap shawl KAL (some are turning them into blankets) and I am on my second shawl constructed in just that way (although my centre is not a square but a diamond that grows from a single stitch and decreases back to one stitch). I find that it blocks and stretches so beautifully.

    I think you are right on about that benefit of swatching; getting to see the fabric and getting some idea of its drape, weight and density. It goes beyond getting a certain size to getting a fabric that you like and that is one of the things I love about knitting.

  6. Maybe some of those that received gifts last year have some show ‘n’ tell that they could share with us? Do you think you could devote a post or two to that, Steph? I think it would be fun to see what folks have made from their Karmic gifts. just an idea.

  7. Just a head’s up, Jen’s link isn’t working for me. I know you’re too kind to hoard all the donations by leaving her link-less, especially since she’s willing to go on those crazy pants training rides with you.

  8. Provisional cast on for the win! I don’t know what it is, but I rather like picking up stitches, and admiring white knitting from a distance at the moment.

  9. At first I thought the shawl had a variegated yarn that made it look like something was dripping from the edge… then I realized the fence palings had pointed tops.

  10. Hi. My second grandchild was born today, and everyone is fine. So, everything will be fine. And now I know to put the buttonholes on the right. (it was a surprise)

  11. Absolutely right about live stitches top and bottom, otherwise when the blanket is being used and wrapped around the baby, you would feel a tight “seam” thingy at the cast on/bind off edges. Oh, it’s going to be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

  12. Finally got caught up with life stuff enough to email you some Karmic Balancing items! So yes, when you become Mistress of Time and Space, do share your secret!

    Until then, thank you once again for everything you do and what you inspire in others–and being honest about the human moments.
    Cheers!

  13. Like Taryn it took me a little while to organise a gift email! But I highly recommend Google calendar if you have smart phones. The husband and I both use it and sync to eachother so we always hade an up to date schedule with us. And if you put in locations it reminds you when to leave based on your current location and traffic.

  14. So thrilled to have gotten a karmic balancing gift! Thank you for putting this all together, Stephanie. What an amazing spirit.

  15. You know something? I miss your daughters. I suppose they’re all grown up now and you daren’t blog about them for fear of disturbing their privacy (and you’re right about that), but still: I miss the days of bee shoes on ears and laundry near-but-not-in the hamper and wardrobe emergencies of the teenage sort. I don’t any of them have a blog, perhaps even a knitting blog?

    No? Darn. What is this world coming to?

  16. Looking at the Instagram pic of you and Hank, I am struck by the eyes – those McPhee eyes breed true, don’t they? Anyone can see you two (and your sister) are related!

  17. I really hate to ask but where did you get the pattern for the sweater, hat and booties? I went back through old posts but can’t seem to locate it. The blanket looks awesome!!!!!!
    Woolie59

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