Must finish this - Update 1

So, 2 weeks later, where am I? Well, first off, I think I've struck on a good thing with this "self-motivation post" idea. There's something about having a status report deadline that is truly motivational for me.

This past Friday, I realized that my first 2-week report was due and I had accomplished absolutely nothing. But, the report wasn't due until Monday, so I had some time to make progress ... and that's exactly what I did.

Saturday morning, I opened up that bag sitting next to the sofa.

and I thought ... "weaving in the ends on the sleeves shouldn't take too long. I'll bet I can knock both of them out in a few hours."

Not so much.

Brioche Stitch

I've been signed up for the Knitting Daily email for a while now. At first, I found the daily emails frequently had great tips/info. More recently, though, they seem to be primarily about selling stuff with an occasional interesting tip - usually tied to selling something. That was the case again today.

This morning's email is titled "Learn Something New: The Brioche Stitch". I've been curious about this stitch and the email (web version here) does have very basic how-to instructions. However, as is the norm, to really learn anything, you need to buy something.

Being innately cheap, I googled "2-color brioche stitch" ... and found a fantastic site called "The Brioche Stitch" by Nancy Marchant with all kinds of great information. Her "Brioche Stitch In Color" page starts with a 2-color brioche stitch ...

2-color Plain Brioche - Right side

Then covers ...

Sweater for Bill - ideas

I've been thinking and talking about knitting a sweater for Bill ... well, ever since it would no longer be a "Boyfriend Sweater". We got married in 2007, so that's a while now.

I've learned that Bill has specific ideas about what he likes and does not like in a sweater. I've also learned that if I'm going to take the time to knit a sweater for him, I need to pay attention to his ideas. So, from time to time, I'll hold up an image and say, "what do you think of this?"

Recently, he said, "I saw something in the catalog we got the other day ...." Well, I ripped that page out immediately and set it in the "save" stack.

However, during my latest, go-through-the-paperwork effort, I decide to scan it, post about it and then toss that page right into the recycle bin. So, here's the scanned image ...

And now, I've "filed" it to my blog, so I'll always be able to find it.

When I finally knit that sweater, it will be interesting to compare it to the various "ideas" that came before it.

New Zealand Ketchup

Yesterday was our annual New Zealand Ketchup making day. Just in time too, 'cause a couple days ago Bill used the very last jar of our 2010 batch.

Making braised lamb shanks.

(After searing the lamb shanks, he uses red wine to deglaze the pan and then a pint of NZ ketchup and as much broth as he needs to have the right amount of braising liquid.)

I have no idea if there's anything truly "New Zealand" about New Zealand Ketchup - other than the source of the recipe - but I do know that it's yummy. And that those kiwis do not mess around when it comes to cooking up condiments. The recipe calls for 12 lbs of tomatoes!! Luckily, we had a good crop of tomatoes this year.

So, here are the 12 lbs of tomatoes in a 12 quart stock pot.

Must finish this!!

This is a self-motivation post designed to overcome my finishing inertia. I don't remember exactly how long ago it was that I knit up these pieces. It was a long time ago. I suspect it may be in the range of 20+ years. (I have serious finishing inertia.)

Here's the front ...

and the back ...

(A close up of the flower motif)

Gloves (and then a Hat) for Bill

Towards the end of last winter, Bill held up his commercially produced wool gloves, pointed out the holes and noted that a knitter's spouse really ought to have a nice pair of hand-knit gloves.

He's right, of course, and I happened to have some lovely wool yarn on hand, having purchased it about a year or so earlier. (On sale!)

I bought the yarn with the idea of knitting Bill a hat, but since I didn't know what design I would use, I bought extra to be sure I didn't run out. I thought the self-striping earth tones and thick/thin yarn could be simple and interesting at the same time. After checking my stash, I decided I had enough yarn to make gloves as well as a hat and since the urgent need for gloves had been brought to my attention, that's where I started.

Bill likes "thick" fabrics, so while the recommended needle size was 7, I ended up using size 4 needles. (Partly, because I have a set of size 4 double pointed needles.) I wanted to keep the stitch pattern simple to show off the yarn and decided on 3 small cables up the back of the hand (blending in to the index, middle and ring fingers of the glove) and stockinette stitch for everything else. For the cuff, I chose a hem, rather than ribbing. Here's the wrist edge of the back side of the gloves.

Here's a full shot of the back side of the pair.

You can sort of see that the thick/thin yarn gives the stockinette stitch thumb and fingers a bit of a Wicked Witch of the West look. You can see it even more in this shot.

Memory Lane: Diagonal Stripe

Here's another "Memory Lane" sweater from my own closet. This is another one that goes back about 20 years. I had seen a picture of a diagonal striped sweater in similar colors and decided to knit one myself.

Twenty-ish years later, I still like these colors, I still like the diagonal stripe and I still wear this sweater. Yeah, it has that 80s over-sized look, but hey, at least not the big shoulder pads.

In this shot, my complete lack of attention to how the sleeve stripes would intersect the body is quite evident.