Fourth Yarn Along

Well upon signing in to write my Yarn Along from beyond my title I found that last week's post has re-appeared! Minus the comments it originally had... but at least it's back (even if I already re-posted one with the pictures!)  Anyway, I am joining Small Thing's Yarn Along again this week!

No pictures of my knitting this week.  I decided to make an attempt to cast on a pair of socks this week... after it fell onto the floor (probably with some help) at least three times and me eventually doing something wrong while working down the cuff I decided to give up for the time being.  I apparently need to sit un-interrupted to really figure out sock-making. 

I also un-knitted(?)/ripped out a scarf that was about at the half way mark because the yarn is no longer made and I am tired of seeing it sit there in my WIP basket taunting me.  I found someone on Ravelry selling the same yarn in a different color.. if it is still available I may buy it as it was cheaper than what I paid and I'm not sure what to do with a sequin-y and fluffy yarn in that small of an amount.  I've been hoping to get around to making my mom a hat with that yarn for Christmas since she liked it so much.. I'm pretty sure I can make that happen with two skeins of this particular yarn.

I also haven't made nearly as much progress on my "Knit for Japan" projects as I had hoped. An ear infection that although not the most painful I've ever had has been bugging me for nearly two weeks now and my neighbors seem to have their nights and days mixed up and are keeping us up at night so exhaustion has taken over my knitting and crocheting time.  I've been caffeinating the heck out of myself every day and just force myself to be up and moving.. because I know if I sit down for a minute I'm going to fall asleep (then be woken up moments later and be miserable.) 

This week's progress

I "think" the hat is ready to sew up.  I really did think I had made it more than long enough to fit an adult.. but after jokingly trying it on my little guy and folding the bottom up to the length I thought it looked best... I think it's more child-sized...  Of course he takes after his mama in head size.. so maybe it would fit a "normal" adult.  We picked up "The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Willams at Goodwill the other day and I have been trying to convince my little one to allow me to read it to him ever since.  He is such a strange child.. I don't know many other children who recognized their letters by 18 months old.. yet he wont even let us sit and read to him.  He's going on 2.5 and has been like this since he was a few months old.  We normally just pick up books and just start reading them aloud while he plays until he angrily comes and rips it out of our hands... and forget snuggling and being read to!  Anyway, this book holds a special place in my heart.  I remember sitting in the hospital waiting room as a small child (probably not even 3 years old) reading this book over and over with my mom while we waited for our neighbor to finish her chemotherapy treatments.  All memories connected to her are special to me... I wish there were more.

My reading this week has consisted of researching different plants that I would like to grow and working on a spreadsheet of seasonal plants that would be part of my dream garden.  Part of me hopes we do have to relocate in 2 years and wind up somewhere that I'm able to at very least have a small potted garden.  Here I don't even have windowsills that would comfortably hold a potted plant.  I'm oh-so-very tempted to plug in our aero-grow in our laundry room.. but it needs new bulbs ($20), a new growing kit (another $20), electricity (plenty of money I'm sure!), nutrients (about $20) and distilled water....  And considering the tiny bit we get out of it.. it is so not worth it!  Maybe some week when we're below our grocery bill max (I can dream right) I'll get a basil plant and see if I can manage to keep it alive in our window-less kitchen that gets a little bit of light.  I grew up playing in our great big vegetable garden.. eating tomatoes right off the vines, chewing on pieces of different kinds of mint and making special "medicines" to rub all over our scraped knees with my neighborhood friends.  I wish I could provide those kinds of memories for my son.  I cringe while he plays in the grass that I assume is sprayed with all kinds of pesticides and we go on long, long walks just trying to find a small handful of flowering weeds for him to pick. 

The "Never Ending Blanket"

The never ending blanket has received a few rows..  I got tired of looking at a tiny little end hanging off in the middle of a row so I picked up another skein of blue yarn, finished that row and 2 rows of white.  Slow progress but at least it is progress!  I think I made a few wrong stitches... but I honestly can't quite tell where...  I just suddenly realized I was doing Half Double Crochet like the hat I've been working on instead of regular old Double Crochet like I was supposed to do... I asked my husband to take a look at it and make sure it didn't stand out to him.. it didn't.  So instead of ripping out an entire row (which takes over an hour) and start it over I just kept going.  I'm sure if someone who really knew what they were looking for took a magnifying glass and scrutinized it they could find it.. but it really doesn't look like there's a mistake just looking at it as a whole.