WIP Wednesday: Actual Progress!

After visiting with my PT, my wrist has been doing loads better and I’ve actually been able to knit regularly for the past few days!

That means that I have a few more inches on the Minetta Cardi and although I won’t catch up to my speed-knitting momma, I might actually have this sweater done sometime this year (hopefully sooner rather than later! I’ve got designs on the backburners waiting for some free hands!)

This picture was taken a few days back, so the sweater is longer now, but it was exciting to finally get to try this puppy on and see how it’s going to fit. Looking at these photos, I realize I probably could have gone down a size but having some positive ease will allow it to layer better with the clothes in my closet.

What are you knitting this week? Tell me everything!

Fun Mail Day

The other week, my friend (and enabler) Linda sent me a link to Paradise Fiber’s Madeline Tosh sale and I totally caved. After a few emails back and forth about what was actually in stock and what my options were after ordering, I settled on the Cosmic Wonderdust colorway (I’d originally ordered the Holi Festival, but the inventory count was incorrect).

The yarn arrived yesterday and, needless to say, I’m thrilled with it! I can’t wait to turn this into an awesome top. I’m not exactly sure which top it’ll be, I’ll probably end up designing my own thing, but I promise to share the progress with you!

What are you excited about this week? Have you splurged on yarn lately?

What Happened to the Past Week?

Where did the time go?! I can’t believe I didn’t get a chance to post last week, I’m sorry folks!

I guess part of it is that I’ve been super busy at the cafe but I also hadn’t made a ton of progress on the sweater until recently. If you’re a long-time reader of the blog, you probably know that I have begun to have wrist issues that have escalated lately.  The truth is, I haven’t been able to knit more than a row or two a day, max, before I started getting pain bad enough to prevent me from knitting altogether for at least a week.

Sad, ain’t it?

I’ve been knitting since I was 9 and I used to engage in marathon knitting sessions – cranking out a sweater in a week or two! New FO’s every week, projects just flying off the needles!

A few years ago is when all the pain started and over the years it’s just gotten worse and worse and worse. Long story slightly shorter, I saw a Physical Therapist last week to see if it was, in fact, Carpal Tunnel like I believed it to be.

We don’t believe it’s fully Carpal Tunnel – she thinks that my Uller nerve might be getting pinched somewhere between the base of my neck and my wrist. I’ve got a slew of exercises to do to loosen up my shoulders, open my chest and get that nerve relaxed and it does seem to be working! I’m excited to be getting back to my normal pace which also means that updates on this here blog will be more frequent and (hopefully) more interesting!

Have you ever had an injury that prevented you from doing something you loved? How did you handle it?

WIP Wednesday: Milestone Reached

As many a knitter knows, flying time can be excellent knitting time. Although I can’t currently knit as often as I used to, and only for short periods of time, having many hours on planes did (finally) allow me to reach that silly sleeve divide.

Behold. An underarm.

A beautiful thing, ain’t it?

It always seems like those last rows before the sleeve divide are never-ending. What with all those stitches you’re still increasing, all the shaping and growing of the sweater. That divide is still like magic and I love it everytime. 

Now, I’ve still got a long ways to go on this cardigan, my momma is whizzing along on hers, at this rate, I’ll catch up sometime next year haha!

What are you working on this week?

A Weekend Adventure

This past weekend was one for the record books.

After more than a month of planning and lots of secretive plans, my brothers and I, with some massive help from our aunt, were able to visit Virginia and surprise my entire family with a surprise family reunion/birthday(s) celebration!

This was the first time I’ve been to Virginia in over ten (probably more than fifteen!) years and it was gorgeous.  So lush and green, not humid yet and the weather, although grey the first day, beautifully sunny the rest of the time.

Amidst mass quantities of food and beverages, we managed to squeeze in beach time, Williamsburg and side-splitting laughter.

A hefty dose of family time does wonders for the heart and soul, I highly recommend you go get yourself some!

How often do you see your family? What are your favorite things to do with them?