Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Senior freedom


One thing about being retired and not going to work any more is that I can choose what I want to do with each day. Thing is, what might that be? Obviously, lately that has involved knitting. Just look at this array! First it was a scarf (the purple one), and I liked it so much I made another (the pink one, same pattern but longer this time), and then a hat (the purple and blue one), and I liked that one so much I made another (to the left of the first hat).

And now I'm knitting one for a present, since the second hat is too small for my friend's head. (It was originally going to be her Christmas present.) This new one is more like a true toque, with lots of room for her voluminous hair. Now if I like this one as much as I think I will, I may be forced to make even more of them. You can never have too many hats, right? And then there's those homeless people who always need them.

This hat uses three different colors and also has that roll-up brim (see the beginning of it here). You can enlarge any picture if you want to see all the details. The biggest problem for me in knitting in the round is that I have to pay attention to the end of the row, since I am following the pattern according to numbers of completed rows. I've gotten around that with two nifty helpers: markers that tell me when I've come back to the beginning, and a row counter! (My new row counter is that pink plastic thing in the first picture.) That way when I finish a row (by slipping the marker onto the other needle), I just reach over and hit the top of the counter and it gives me a new consecutive number.

The only other problem I have with hats is that they get finished way too quickly, and then I'm forced to sit around and twiddle my thumbs until I get a new pattern. Right now, as you can see, I'm ending up with lots of extra yarn that might force me to make up my own patterns. This appeals to me, because who knows? I might end up making fantastic hats that are sought after all over Bellingham! Well, maybe.

So this senior (me) is free to play with her yarn, her birdies, and look with great anticipation into the near future to see what it might bring. I get lots of ideas from my bloggy-klatch buddies as I sip my coffee. Oh yes, I also wanted to say thank you to my dear sister for having become a follower and actually making comments now and then. Who knows, Norma Jean, you may be moved to become a blogger yourself! But I won't hold my breath.
:-)

15 comments:

  1. You sound like you are having fun. Good for you! Have you made anything for your hubby yet?

    I got a few dishcloths done this year but that is the extent of it.

    Have a nice Christmas, DJan!

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  2. Not bloody likely...I would have a hard time coming up with something interesting once a year...more often just won't happen. Love your blogs, though. Vicarious fun. Thanks.

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  3. DJ, I'm so proud of you and your knitting. It's extremely addicting isn't it? See some of my things on my other site. When we go on long trips I get a lot of knitting done. I'm like you, I hate when I finish something and don't know what to do next. Now I always have my next project and ball of yarn in the waiting. It looks as though you do beautiful work. I've been on a neckwarmer kick, but would like to do more hats and some more fingerless gloves. Keep me up to date, can't wait to see how the blue hat turns out. You may need to send me that pattern. Oh, I could just talk all day about knitting, but I need to go finish sewing an apron for a Christmas gift.
    Merry Christmas!

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  4. One year, I was trapped on a used car lot by myself and spent my time listening to books on tape and making mittens and toques for Arc Aid Mission. It was amazing how quickly they crochet up! The year I turned 40, I quit smoking. Yep, used car lot again and made 5 sweaters in 5 weeks! Now, if I pick up the needles or hook, I make preemie blankets for the hospital. So many things, so little yarn!

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  5. Love the scarves and that hat is so cute. I tried knitting once years ago and it took me a very short time to figure out it was not for me.

    Merry Christmas,
    Judy

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  6. I would never remember to hit the row counter! I'm going to have to find my crochet book. It is a pattern for a sampler quilt. So it shows many different patterns. Once I relearn them (it's been years) maybe I'll be adventurous enough to actual make something!

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  7. I can't knit or crochet. I just don't have the aptitude. Your hats and scarves are beautiful.
    Enjoy yourself. That is what retirement should be about.

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  8. I actually retired in 1976 or that was the last time I got a paycheck from somebody. Anyway, I soon discovered that I had too many things to do and not enough time to do any of them. So each day or each week or year found my interest in something else.

    The knitting is a reminder that the girls here have a round thing which you wind the yard around on pegs and somehow end up with a pull down hat. I think I have a picture of the cat wearing one of them.

    Hope you and your family have a good holiday season and a happy and healthy new year.

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  9. And a Merry Christmas. I enjoyed reading your musing about why you write. I've always thought that writing encourages clearer thinking i.e. its goes with the notion that talk is cheap. Listen to talk radio for instance.

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  10. Love that hat, DJan. I want to learn to do hats like that - my girls would love it. Hope you have a very Merry one!

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  11. I use up my odd balls on a blanket, which I make up as I go along. That way I don't have too many odd balls left over.
    I like the picture of the hats and the odd balls very much. You might want to take a look at www.ravelry.com and see what they do with a view to future projects. Happy looking.
    Blessings Star

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  12. Lovely work..your knitting is like a work of art DJan.. well done!! I used to be able to knit and crochet.. a few years ago I did make some chemo hats..with some non itchy very soft yarn:)

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  13. Love the pictures! I haven't gotten the nerve to try hats yet...and I'm still working on that baby blanket!
    You ought to check out the internet for patterns. Even if you don't find something immediately it could be happy hunting:)

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  14. You are so talented!
    The hats are adorable.

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  15. I like you hats. I finished a blanket for the son of my daughter’s friend. He was born with breathing problems so I made the blanket very airy. Now I am knitting a warm and large scarf for my daughter in Ohio to cover her ears and head when she leaves home at 6:oo am in the snow. I bookmarked a site a while back and had not the time to go back, it’s called Knitting for Charity, http://www.knittingforcharity.org/ I’ll go back there when I am finished with my projects.

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