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knitting

Unraveled Wednesday Early Start

Posted on November 5, 2025 by Laura Kate

We were treated to a fabulous sunrise this morning. I took it as a sign that today would be a productive one.

So I’m starting with a post about the project on my needles today.

There is an uncanny resemblance to a sunrise in the knitting sequence, but what the heck is this object trying to be?

About three years ago I knit a sort of poncho, which was designed by mashing-up two different patterns.

I called it the CozzyCusco Kimono in reference to the patterns I used. It is knit in two halves, then joined with three-needle bind off at the center back. You can read more about this project here:

https://dailyfiberfun.com/2022/03/11/finished-object-friday-cozzy-cusco-kimono/

Having worn it out in public here, I was approached by a new friend who wanted to buy it as a gift for her mother. Not ready to part with it, I bent my rule about knitting for money. I told new friend that I would make one for her mother if she covered the cost of the yarn.

“What colors does your mother like?” “Jewel tones,” was the reply. Hm.

I’m afraid that my color choices are more fiery than jewel like. I’m hoping that friend’s mom is an extrovert. If not, wearing this fiesta-like garment will surely convert her.

Now onto reading. I’ve been enjoying access to the Carnegie library here in DBQ and have read a few novels. Recently I read one by Ashley Poston called The Seven Year Slip. It is an amusing tale of romance sprinkled with time travel about a New York publishing executive. A light read that’s a bit spicy and not something I would seek out, I enjoyed it never the less.

More along my usual lines is Turning to Birds: The power and beauty of noticing, by Lili Taylor. The author is an actor living in New York. This book is part nature study and part autobiography, with short chapters, each featuring an adventure in her newly-found passion for bird-watching. My description doesn’t do it justice, so I recommend that you read a sample to decide for yourself what is it about.

That’s all for me today. Time to get on with my day.

This post is linked up with As Kat Knits’ Unraveled Wednesday for November 5 2025

Return from unplanned hiatus

Posted on November 1, 2025 by Laura Kate

Dear friends,

While I have been silent for over two months, I have not been idle. So much has taken place in my real life that I found it hard to keep up on my blog. You will detect from my opening photograph that Knitting is the one fibery activity that I kept going in the interim. And there is one Finished Object and one Nearly Finished Object.

Having given away my fingerless mitts last spring, I used stash yarn to make a replacement. The pattern is Croft Mitts, designed by Kirsten Kapur. It appears that I downloaded the pattern from Interweave, although I can’t remember when. Three yarns are used – all from Knitpicks. The pale and dark blues are Gloss in fingering weight – a lovely wool and silk blend. The variegated pink is Hawthorn fingering.

I’ve already posted about Kate Davies Paperdolls project. It is nearly finished.

All that remains is to pick up and knit an I-cord strip along the lower edge. Once I have blocked it, I’ll get another photo to post. Purple is the Ultra Alpaca. The pink is Swish in worsted weight.

And there is an extra fancy project on my needles. I’ll do a more complete post of it later. It is a second version of a project I knit about three years ago.

Now, some photos and words about three events that have filled my life in the last two months.

A trip with friends Fritz and Melissa to the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica in early September. A few highlights:

Very soon after our return, my sweet mother passed away soon after suffering a fall in her room. We traveled to Ohio for the funeral in early October. I took no photographs at that event. Here are some photos from happier days

Goodbye, Mom. You will long be well remembered by hundreds of people whose lives you touched.

In late October, a landscaper reshaped the steep side yard of our new house.

Before:

After:

Bill and I have also been active around our new home town, attending events and making friends. We love it here.

If you are still reading, thanks. I’d love to hear what you are working on these days. I invite you to leave a comment below, or drop a line to my email.

knitting

Unraveled Wednesday with Kat – 7-23-25

Posted on July 23, 2025 by Laura Kate

This photograph introduces both subjects for today: knitting and reading.

First the knitting.

I am progressing on the KD Designs Paperdolls pullover. At this point, I have attached the cap sleeves and done all the reductions needed to set up for the chart.

Last night, it seemed all was well, so I carried on with the first row of the yoke chart. Upon reaching the end of the row (over 300 stitches done), I discovered my stitch count was off! In despair, I dropped the work and went to bed.

Morning always helps my brain function better. After assuming I would have to tink back three rows, I figured out that I could make my corrections with only one row unknitted. That was accomplished before I finished my morning coffee.

Now I’m wondering if I will have enough pink yarn for the rest of the yoke and the neckline ribbing. Not wanting to take any chances, I will dive into my stash to find a fourth color that will work with the ‘dolls chart. More to come.

The book I just finished last night is newly published, co-written by David Attenborough and Colin Butfield. Ocean, Earth’s Last Wilderness is just as fascinating as Attenborough’s nature documentaries. What sets the book apart from his documentaries is the ability to include lots more descriptions of both the exploration of the ocean and the research about its changes. Spoiler alert: the ocean’s ability to recover from man’s destruction is far more vigorous than one expects. While the effects of climate change on this recovery are unknown, there is, as Attenborough frequently says, much room for hope. And if David Attenborough feels hopeful, there is no reason for anyone else to feel otherwise.

Readers will also enjoy two sections of gorgeous color photographs and numerous black and white drawings throughout. I easily finished this fascinating read in a week.

Linking to As Kat Knits Unraveled Wednesday.

knitting

Unraveled Wednesday 6-25-25

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Laura Kate

Following along with As Kat Knits, I am posting this progress update on the project I cast on June 2nd.

This is Paper Dolls, a pullover by KDD & Co. As of today, I have knitted up from the bottom about 12 inches.

This is the point where the body is set aside and the cap sleeves are knitted on separate needles. The technique is reminiscent of Elizabeth’s Zimmerman’s Fair Isle Yoke Sweater as published in her 1st newsletter. Eventually stitches for all three parts are loaded onto one long needle and work continues for the yoke.

First sleeve cap complete and waiting for its sister before both join with the sweater body.

A design feature added by Kate Davies is the corrugated rib stitch worked in contrasting yarn for the hems of body and sleeves (as shown in my first photograph.)

This part of the project has been great for television watching, since no stitch counting or pattern checking is required. The next section will require undivided attention, and I work the very cute paper dolls while simultaneously decreasing the yoke stitches. (That makes it sound harder than it really is.)

I must add a shout-out to knitting blogger Alissa Makes who made and gifted me the cute Mer-people project bag.

I love using it – Thanks, Alissa.

As far as reading, I just finished a biography of Salvador Dali’s wife, Gala. It is titled Surreal and written by Michele Gerber Klein. I had no idea how crazy those early 20th century artists were. If you like soap operas, and are not easily shocked, you may enjoy this book. My main complaints are that it is a bit long, and could have used more photographs.

That’s it for me. During this hot sticky heat wave, I hope you, my dear readers, can remain cool, calm and knitting onward.

knitting

Cast on Monday: KDD Pullover

Posted on June 2, 2025June 3, 2025 by Laura Kate

This week-end I got out the knitting needles and settled into a new project. This one has been bagged up in my yarn closet since last year. I am putting to work some Berroco Ultra Alpaca that I purchased – oh, who knows? Anyway, here it is with its two pairings.

The Ultra Alpaca is a 50/50 blend of Peruvian wool and super fine Alpaca. I have loved this yarn since my early days as a knitter when I made a skirt of my own design using a peat moss color and several teal colors of wool from another source. Today I am working it with two Knitpick yarns – Swish in pink and Hawthorne in a speckled dye. The Berroco yarn is not a super-wash, while the other two are. Since they are all the same gauge, I don’t expect any trouble from those superwashes. The main yarn should keep them from stretching inordinately.

Now- the pattern. I’ve chosen a Kate Davies design going back into the aughts, called Paper Dolls. This has been in my Ravelry favorites for quite a while.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/paper-dolls

https://images4-a.ravelrycache.com/uploads/KDDandco/750184067/New_paper_dolls-79_medium2.jpg

Getting gauge was a problem. Using the suggested needle (US 4) I was off significantly. But the fabric I achieved with this needle looked and felt good, so I just cast on two sizes down. I’m aiming for 40 inch width at the bust. Since this is knit from the body up, I’m pretty confident I’ll know soon enough if it will fit.

If not, I have two fans of my knitting who are smaller than me. Holiday gift giving season isn’t that far off.

If you like the look of this design, I recommend that you check out Kate’s other patterns. This is my second time using a KDD pattern. Her patterns are well written and edited, and give a lot of very useful information. Her partner Tom takes all of the photographs, which are beautiful. He is an artist in his own right.