The hare and the tortoise?

Contrary to popular belief - I am no fast knitter. It is more like the hare and the tortoise here and I am the tortoise. I just sit and knit slowly and steadily and eventually an FO bursts forth. The last sweater was a fast knit even for slo-mo me due to the pattern itself. And the backs of the newest sweater projects are going quickly simply because they are easy-peasy.

Yes Twig, our season is going to be a busy one. But it is a really good thing - at some point people aren't going to hire us to play anymore so if we can make enough $$ now and sock it away, when they stop calling we can still eat. And buy yarn. Especially buy yarn.

We did lay low on Thanksgiving to get geared up for the next weeks.

LarjMarj - yes, we play Nutcrackers every year. This one was with Lakecities Ballet. It is a sweet production - nice costumes and sets, good dancing and two stars from NYC to dance the Cavalier Prince (Damian Woetzel) and Sugar Plum Fairy (Julie Kent). Here is a picture I shot before we began yesterday:

If you look carefully, you can see my husband in the back on the right with silver hair. Although there is no photography allowed during performances, I snuck out my camera and surreptitiously took one during (I think) the Waltz of the Flowers. The angle is a bit wonky since I couldn't very well stand up and shoot at the stage.... You can see my colleague James' hands on his oboe and the stage and a few dancers in the back.

The next Nutcrackers I play are with the Metropolitan Classical Ballet in December. Mom will be here so I hope she will come to see a performance. She has never seen live ballet.....

Wednesday and Sunday are rehearsal and concert at FUMC with the Texas Boys Choir. And Thursday - Saturday is RSO. It should be some good uplifting music this week :-).

I hope your week ahead is a good one.

And I should have some knitting content for you next time

See you soon~

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, dear fellow knitters. I hope your day will be relaxing and filled with warm feelings, delicious food, and some quality knitting time. Jim and I will be spending a quiet cooking, eating and knitting day at home. I am brining a turkey breast that will go on the rotisserie. Squash soup will be the first course, whipped sweet potatoes and garlic herbed peas and green beans will round out the meal. Pumpkin pie (soon to go in the oven) will finish.

I have a few projects underway - Jim's sweater that has progressed this far:

And Bamboozle Lace Panel Tunic for me.

Here is the start of the back.

Our busy season begins tomorrow with the first round of Nutcrackers. Then the next day off (no students, no rehearsals or performances) will be Christmas Day. Oh - I will fly to NY one day to get Mom and fly back the next with her. Those days don't really count as days off, do they? If my blogging is sparse for the next few weeks, please understand. I will try to stop by yours and leave comments.

If you haven't started your Mr. Greenjeans yet - now is the time :-) I have worn mine and felt all cosy and warm. The girls at my LYS thought it was a goody. I was pretty thrilled when Jill (the owner) asked me what pattern it was.

So, friends, have a wonderful holiday, enjoy your weekend and whatever else is going on.

Another FO

Thank you all for your lovely comments. I really enjoyed knitting Tilia even on #2. I guess since I knit socks on #1 and #0, #2 didn't seem so small. Go figure. I did wear her on Saturday at Jim's Mother's 90th birthday party. The sweater got rave reviews - Jim made sure everyone knew I have knit it (he is a keeper.)

The only thing was that it stretched quite a bit and by the end of the night *really* needed to be smaller. If you are going to knit with Hempathy, I would suggest as small a needle as you can stand and knit a smaller size.

Here is Mr. Greenjeans:
This was really quick - I think even with all the other distractions, it took me 2 weeks. Would have been sooner if Tilia had not been pressing. I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Charcoal with #7 and #6 needles. Since it is so chunky, I think it sweater makes me look even bigger than I am, but will be great for casual wear any winter day. That is if we ever get to winter here. Today is 80 degrees and tomorrow is forecast to be 84. Yikes!

And here is the cuff of one of Jim's socks:

He picked the Ash colored KP Essentials from the stash and the ribbed pattern from SKS. I am knitting these on #0 Harmony DPNS. All I can say is I LOVE these needles.

As soon as I get to the heels of these (I knit them 2 at a time on matching DPNS) there is a pullover pattern for Jim I am ready to start. The yarn is a beautiful heathered green wool blend. I will let you know as soon as I get going on it.

As always, I appreciate your kind remarks. Your comments make my day. Have a wonderful week, dear knitting buddies.

Tilia is Finished!

She was begun in August and finished today, Nov. 4. This pattern is Elesbeth Lavold's Tilia, knit in Hempathy. I used #2 Addis for the entire piece (except the picked up neckband on #0).

I think the fit is pretty good, just feels a little big around the neck.

Mr. Greenjeans is getting close too.....

I am knitting this in Charcoal Cotton Ease on #7 needles. It is fast and seems like it will be cozy and casual for fall. The cable bottom: