Simplified Seascair Blanket

Back in 2021 I joined Carol Feller’s Celtic Knit Club 2021.  It was during the COVID pandemic and I was working full time from home.  The club came with all of the yarn that you see above and four patterns, a blanket, a hat, a cowl, and mittens.  All of the projects were made from the same yarn - Blasta - a worsted weight yarn that is 60% Fine Irish Wool and 40% New Zealand Wool, and has 232 yards per 100 grams.  I started working on the blanket on May 10, 2021.  By June 10, 2021 I had two mitered squares.

The next update came on March 26, 2022, at which point I had five squares (you get two squares out of a skein).

The next update came a little quicker - on April 13, 2022, with six squares (finishing out the first three skeins).

With eight squares done by June 12, 2022.

And ten squares done by June 19, 2022.

And all fourteen squares done by September 5, 2022.  All of that 2022 progress actually came when I was back on-site and in the office at least three days a week because they made such good work knitting.

And then I got to the patterned squares that go in the center of the blanket, which is where I stalled out.  They just were not fun to knit.  The dark blue made seeing the pattern stitches difficult, and the cables in the yellow were just a pain to work.  At this point in my life I don’t have to do anything that I don’t enjoy (the perks of being retired), which brings us to the picture at the top.  After finishing up the Fika Shawl I was thinking about what to work on next, whether to cast on something new or work on finishing up one of my languishing works in progress.  I pulled out the two partially finished squares and pulled the pattern up on knitCompanion.  I knew that I did not want to keep working the patterned squares, and looking at the other projects in the club I realized that they used the same stitch patterns, so what was I going to do with all of that yarn?  I like the mitered squares, and they are fun to knit, and quick to work up, so I decided to just make mitered squares and when I have them all done I will assemble them however I want.  I’m thinking a blanket, and maybe a couple of pillows.

So I frogged the two partially finished squares and started knitting a mitered square with the yellow yarn.  To reclaim the kinky yarn I ran it through the steam from my tea kettle.  It worked a treat and didn’t take long at all.

Pattern:  Mitered squares from the Seascair Blanket by Carol Feller

Yarn:  Blasta

Needle:  US 6 (4.0 mm)

Fika Shawl - Finished!

Once I got into the groove of the pattern this worked up fairly quickly.  The only real set back was when I was blithely working the cable crosses and forgot to switch the direction on the second half of the shawl and didn’t realize my mistake until I had worked the wrong side row, and had to tink back a row and a half to fix them.  There was at least one other time when I started to do that on the second half but caught myself after the first one.  Other than that it was pretty smooth sailing, I even remembered all of the increases on the right side.  I did check my stitch count on a regular but not overly frequent basis to make sure I hadn’t inadvertently missed an increase.  The shawl ends with 1x1 ribbing, and the pattern says to work the ribbing until you have about 8 grams left and then bind off in pattern.  I quit a few grams earlier than that and cast off this past Wednesday evening and blocked it Thursday morning.

Blocking was pretty easy, although I didn’t force a straight line across the top.  That does mean you end up with a little fold at the back of the neck when you wear it, and really, this is more of a shawlette than a shawl.  I haven’t decided if I want to seam part of the front edges together and turn it into a cowl, or if I want to add some I-cord ties to the wing tips so I can tie them behind my back and wear it as a shrug.  It is very pretty, and very soft, with nice drape.

Pattern:  Fika Shawl by Inge-Lis Holst

Yarn:  Onling No. 4

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Fika Shawl - Two and a half Sections Done!

Having finished my Floret socks I have been focusing on my Fika Shawl.  I made a spreadsheet to keep track of stitch counts and yarn usage so I can use as much of my yarn as possible.  The shawl pattern itself is very simple, so once it is established I don’t need to refer to the pattern instructions, all the important pieces of information are on my spreadsheet.  I have become more of a monogamous knitter since my retirement.

Pattern:  Fika Shawl by Inge-Lis Holst

Yarn:  Onling No. 4

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)

Floret Socks - Done!

This morning I finally finished up my second Floret sock.  I finished up the patterned part of the foot last night, and just had the toe to do this morning.  Even with my new right eye I had some challenges with the grafting of the toe when I got to the snugging up the graft.  I had to resort to my crafting glasses to get enough close up acuity to grab the correct stitch legs. Despite the fact that the prescription is off at this point, it was enough to get me what I needed.  The mono vision works fine for day to day stuff around the house, but I’m going to want glasses that enable me to bring both of my eyes to bear on some tasks.  I have an appointment with an optometrist the first week of February.

I would have finished these socks earlier this week except that I got distracted by an excellent book - No Man’s Land by Sarah A. Hoyt.  It is a single book published in three volumes and I pretty much devoured all three volumes in three days.  I didn’t do much else but read, no knitting, no spinning, no piano playing, just reading.  It has been a while since I have found a book that engaged me that much.  There is more in the series to come, and I’m looking forward to that.

Pattern:  Floret by Makenzie Alvarez

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Resilient Sock

Needle:  US 1.5 (2.5 mm)

Floret Sock - Second Sock Heel Done!

I worked the heel and gusset on Sunday, now I am working the foot, just four and a half repeats of the motif to go before I do to the toe shaping.  I’m still adjusting to my new eyes, and they are still settling, but they are working pretty well for me.

Pattern:  Floret by Makenzie Alvarez

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Resilient Sock

Needle:  US 1.5 (2.5 mm)

Floret Sock - Second Sock Leg Done!

My new right eye is working quite well, and I was able to finish the leg of the second sock, working on it yesterday and today.  I haven’t worked on this project since the day before my first surgery (on the left eye).  Prior to my surgery, I had been using bifocal crafting glasses, that had the near field set for where I hold my knitting, and the top part set for watching TV, but when I used them my IPad would not be in focus unless I leaned forward to peer at it, which made using knitCompanion annoying.  Now I can see my knitting, and my IPad, and watch TV, without glasses, and without having to move closer to anything.  It really is nice.  I’m still getting used to things, but so far, so good.  On to the heel!  And that black blob with a tail to the right of my foot is my cat Jezebel, she finds my knitting needles fascinating.

Pattern:  Floret by Makenzie Alvarez

Yarn:  Expression Fiber Arts Resilient Sock

Needle:  US 1.5 (2.5 mm)

Fika Shawl - Cast On!

I actually cast this on back on November 30, before my first cataract surgery.  It is the first pattern in the 2025 Onling Advent calendar.  The pattern is pretty simple, it has an I-cord edge, and the ribbed cables periodically, and increases at the edges and at the center on the right side rows.  But the yarn is on the darker side, which made working on it pre-surgery a little bit of a challenge.  I was able to work on it after my first surgery (which gave me distance vision in my left eye) provided I had good light, and I was able to work a couple of rows last night after my second surgery (which gave me near vision in my right eye).  I’m still getting used to my new eyes, but I’m able to read, and play piano, and work on the computer, and drive, so things are pretty good.  Not having any astigmatism any more is also really wonderful.  The acuity is amazing.  It is also very nice not having the yellow tint changing all of my colors (black and white movies were a little sepia toned).

I had a very interesting experience last week while I was putting up my Bowflex after exercising, part of the equipment perfectly bisected my visual field so that on one side I was seeing with my left eye and on the other I was seeing with my right eye and so I was able to simultaneously see the effects of the no-cataract/cataract on my vision.  It helped that I was looking out a window at our snowy lawn, which gave me a pretty dramatic contrast.  Things are also brighter, which is also great.  It is amazing how our brains adapt to these changes without you even realizing it, and how quickly it adapts back when things are fixed.

The yarn is Onling No. 4, 100% Fine Organic Merino Wool, and it is fingering weight (50 g / 200 m)

Pattern:  Fika by Inge-Lis Holst

Yarn:  Onling No. 4

Needle:  US 4 (3.5 mm)