Tag: on the needles

Year-Round Camping in Florida; Enjoying Nature While I Knit

The peaceful days of camping in the wilderness go perfectly with knitting. What could be better than having coffee outside, with knitting on my lap? We camped twice in the last month and here is a look at the knitting projects I took along.

I live in Florida where we can camp year round. We take our travel trailer north to the Ocala National Forest and enjoy the natural springs, or old Florida settings which are free of traffic and commerce. Sometimes, out in the woods, the internet is sketchy or nonexistent.

As an older woman I am perfectly able to live without access to the internet, at least for a short time. I do work online, but it can wait a few days. Camping for me means relaxing around the campfire, bike-riding, and knitting. Usually my two cats don’t go with us, and that is a form of freedom in itself!

red dirt bike with rider

During this trip, my son took off on his dirt bike, and I worked on my recent knitting project. I’m knitting a fun, little project with wool, which I will use when we camp!

knitting project, seating pad, in colorwork with black cat
Seating pad project and Fontana my cat

The item is meant to keep your bottom warm while taking a sitting break in winter. The SkiBUM Felted Seating Pad comes with a color-work graph. I began by following it, then changed to more simple designs. I do a lot of knitting while riding in the truck. The bumpy ride makes it difficult to follow a chart.

My wool chair pad will be used when we camp. My folding chair has no padding. During cool nights around the fire, my butt was cold! I was using a little foam seating pad for some insulation. The wool felted pad will also be used when eating at the picnic table. I’m sure I can use it year round on our trips. This project is perfect for using up some wool stash! I’ll be writing a post about it soon.

Two Weeks Before This

We also camped on the days following Thanksgiving. During that two day trip I worked on my cotton top (Knus Light) while enjoying the grassy woodland view from our campsite. I saw a lot of Woodpeckers and heard Carolina Chickadees. From over by the lakes, the calls of the Sandhill Cranes could be heard all day long. Lots of deer crossed our path while bike riding. This area is full of wildlife.

Mornings were a little chilly, so I wore my fingerless mitts (Stellar Parallax pattern). I LOVE it when I can wear my hand knits.

Our campsite for 2 nights
Knitting in nature while wearing fingerless mitts.
Knitting the Knus Light top

I really enjoy this cooler weather. Getting outdoors, without sweating, is such a treat. It won’t last long.

Advice For Knitting on the Go

Be sure you have all the items you may need! Needles and yarn of course, but scissors, a crochet hook (for those dropped stitches), stitch markers and holders, and embroidery needle, in case you finish and need to weave in some ends. I like a simple project for the ride, and maybe one other for day knitting. We always have more than one project on the needles, right?

Thanks for reading. Here are more knitting stories.

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Here Comes the New Year, And Oh The WIPs

The end of 2022 has arrived. I have a few knitting works in progress (wips) to share, as well as a good-bye to a year that was not all that great.

Personally, I am happy to say good-bye to 2022. Overall it was a horrible year, but some good things happened. I can’t berate myself too much for all these WIPs hanging about. Usually I don’t let them get so out of control.

I’m finishing up the year with more WIPs (Work in Progress) knits than ever. I chalk it up to Fall being extremely busy here, with 2 hurricanes to deal with, and a surprise visit from my daughter – she came in between the hurricanes. We also had a 40th birthday party for my son in December, which was a ton of work. Then, of course Christmas. I just mailed out gifts today – December 30th! So, yes… I am behind.

My Current WIPs

The knitting projects in my baskets are the Brodgar Poncho, a Playdate sweater, the Goldenfern pullover, and two Easy V sweaters. I do have other projects that have been sitting for a while, like the thrummed mittens and spiral scarves, but I’m not counting them here.

Brodgar poncho
Brodgar
Playdate
Goldenfern
Goldenfern
short row shaping on Easy V sweater
Easy V in Brown
Easy V sweater in green
Easy V in Green

How many WIPs in your knitting baskets?

When I look around Ravelry, sometimes I see knitters with pages full of WIPs! Then, I don’t feel so badly about having the five I have.

Good Riddance 2022

The worst part of 2022 was being sick for over a month with Covid. We had just purchased a camping trailer, that we wanted to use, but that got put off until the end of August. It took me a while to get better, probably because I am in my 60s. Then the hurricanes hit. Ian brought flooding and Nicole brought damage to the beaches. Our beaches are still recovering, as are the people whose homes were flooded. We got off pretty lucky, but need a new roof and are working on making that happen.

We just had a few nights of below freezing temps here in Florida and I covered the plants, but lost a few to the extreme cold. It appears the winter will tend to be a cold one for us in the south. Some years we get off lucky and temps stay decent. It is the end to a year that I chalk up to not so great. And then there is the state of our country, and the world in general.

New Year’s Day Cast On?

I would love to CAST ON a new project on New Year’s Day, but we’ll see. I have some yarn coming from Miss Babs end of year sale, and recently spent my birthday present gift certificate on come soft Donegal yarn. Both yarns will be used to knit sweaters when I find the right patterns.

This year I cast on for the Solstice Glow chicken hat on January first. I finished it eight days later and it was a fun hat to knit. This year I think I will continue to finish up what’s been started before I do any more casting on.

Solstice Glow chicken hat
Solstice Glow hat pattern

Happy New Year, We Can Hope

Read About More of My Knitting Adventures

A Simple Sweater With Stripes

My newest knitting project is a simple sweater with stripes. A link to the pattern page on Ravelry is further down the page. This one is advertised as a good project to use up stash yarn. I can see how that would be true. I was finishing up knitting the Warm Up sweater (#3), and…

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Heading Into Summer – Four Projects On the Needles

Here’s what I am currently knitting. A couple of easy, free patterns, as well as a hat and sweater.

Because I live in a climate that is seldom considered to be “cool”, I knit with wool year round. I’m not sure what other knitters do, but this is the time of year when all the big yarn sellers come out with cotton, linen and silk yarns and showcase knitting projects for lightweight tops. I really don’t pay much attention to that because most “summer” projects are still too hot to wear here in central Florida.

Currently I am finishing up four knitting projects I have been working on regularly. I like to have a variety of knitting going at once.

The Hidden Gems Shawl

For a while now I have avoided knitting “shawls” because I never wear them. I would love to, but in this hot and humid climate the last thing I want is something around my neck. But, when I saw “Hidden Gems” knit up in hands-spun yarn, I thought it was a beauty and it might be nice to have one.

Hidden Gems free shawl pattern
Hand-spun shawl / scarf

The shawl is more of a scarf in the shape of an elongated set of triangles – larger in the middle coming to points on each end. It is a free pattern, and could be knit using any type of yarn. This pattern would be great for a beginner knitter. It is mostly garter stitch with a few other stitches that would be good practice. You should know how to knit front and back, slip, slip knit, and knit 2 together.

The Orange Slouchy Hat

I have knit this slouchy hat in light blue already. It is a tedious knit that seems to take forever and that makes it great as a take-along project AND becomes a very lovely everyday hat. I have mostly been knitting on this hat while traveling. I no longer have a car of my own, so I ride as a passenger everywhere. It is perfect for knitting this simple 1×1 ribbing.

orange hat knitting

The Honey Cowl

The Honey Cowl is another simple (and FREE) pattern that is perfect for take-along car rides, or TV knitting. This is my third Honey Cowl and it is another good pattern for a beginner knitter to try. Because stitches are slipped, this is a faster knit.

Honey cowl knitting Mrs. Crosby yarn

The Lopi Sweater

This sweater started as a vest. The vest directions were hard to understand, mainly because I have never knit a vest. After I knit the body part of the “vest” I had to switch to making it a sweater. The whole thing was pretty much made up as I went along.

As I write this the pullover is nearly finished. I mainly have weaving in of ends, washing and blocking left. There is no pattern for this, but I followed stitch counts (mostly) from Farfuglar.

Yoke section of Lopi wool sweater
Yoke patterning of the Lopi Sweater

The sweater is nearly finished, and once that is done with I will look for another sweater to knit. I already have yarn set aside for two patterns, so I will probably begin one of those. The simplicity of the hat, cowl and shawl patterns make them perfect for occasional knitting and there is no hurry in completing any of them.

Knitting Projects On the Needles in February

It’s mid February and I’ve been good about not beginning any new knitting projects. Presently, on the needles, I have a sweater, hat, mittens and wrist warmers.

Meadow Moon

Meadow Moon is the pullover sweater that has been on the needles for months now. It’s not that I don’t like it, in fact I think it will be a favorite, but I knit it randomly. I’ve begun too many projects and let this one slide. Now I am on the end of the sleeve and finishing up the colorwork. I should be done in a day or so. I’ll have a few ends to weave in, and then the wash. I hope the cool weather is not completely gone here in Florida because I want to wear this one!

This photo is a horrible representation of the colors. The sweater is blue, not green. Once it’s finished, I will post a page review.

Meadow moon sweater nearly finished
Meadow Moon Sweater

Classic Watchcap

This little blue project is a Classic Watchcap and it is very monotonous knitting. I knew it would be, and save it for evening knitting. The light blue yarn is easy enough to see and the knit one, purl one… on and on… is great for TV watching. At this point I’ve knit for about six inches but have three more inches to go before the decreases. I want a slouchy version with the option to roll up a brim.

Ribbed Watchcap – My Ravelry page. Yarn is Camp Colors, CC fingering which is Superwash merino.

Light blue classic beanie knitting

Thrummed Mittens

The Thrummed mittens are a new challenge. I got this far and then stalled. Maybe it’s because I rarely wear mittens in Florida and certainly would never need something so wonderfully warm.

Yarn is Alafosslopi in Ecru Heather, with Merino Top from Paradise Fibers.

Wording on my thrummed mittens

Fair Isle Wrist Warmers (mine)

These Fair Isle wrist warmers were fun to make. I began with a free pattern, but quickly went off-pattern to create my own mess…! Each warmer has it’s own colorwork patterns, so they don’t match. Why would they need to? I also messed up some of the patterning because I forgot how many stitches were on the needles! Oh well.

What I like is that I have this pair to learn from for the next time. My goal is to create my own pattern next time. I may even knit them to match.

Weaving in ends on Fair Isle wrist warmers