Happy New Year!

I hope you have enjoyed yourselves, whatever you celebrate!
Around our house there were stockings.

A lovely dinner.

And the cat nuzzling my new box of Welsh tea, (which is delicious!).

Today, there was much cleaning.  Tonight, there will be champagne.  And probably knitting. ;-)

Now I feel like less of a slouch since I managed to get this post up before next year.  Barely. :-D

Be safe and do enjoy the New Year!

Happy Winter Solstice!

Wow.  I am unbelievably behind.  I've managed to make a festive hat...

Husband got sick right after Thanksgiving with sinus nastiness that has lingered.  Between tending the invalid and lack of sleep, a lot of the holiday stuff hasn't gotten done on time.  Luckily, older kids are understanding and we're just going to celebrate through January. :-D 

This little gem arrived today...

This is my father's knitting bag.  It was re-discovered by my grandmother the other day.  She kindly gave him back the bag, holding his one, unfinished, project, should he wish to finish it finally. (It's been about fifty years.)

It was supposed to be a pair of slippers, in a cheery shade of olive green and minus the pom poms.

My father got about half way through one slipper. He was using the recommended needle size(the project was still on said needles), but looking at the fabric, I would point out I am not the only tight knitter in the family. The yarn is a thick and thin wool/nylon blend that has held up surprisingly well.  I would guess it was in a linen cupboard with scented soap to keep away the bugs.
The needles will likely be put with the wooden crochet hooks I have from my great-aunt, the yarn will be re-wound. 
Then I'll get out slightly larger needles and make some slippers. ;-)

I'll admit it....

I am a huge fan of Welcome to Nightvale.  I understand it's not for everyone. My entire household thinks me odd for even listening to it, laughing as I wait with eager anticipation for the latest episode.
But there are others, in ever growing numbers, who understand my adoration...and some of them, are knitters.  Annie over at The Saloon, is one such person.  She is obviously amazing. :-D (And of course we all knew Cecil had to be knitworthy right?)

So, we bought a rug...

About a month ago actually, but November happened and I got a bit preoccupied.  Here are the pictures we took of it, with husband added for scale. :-)

It's a big rug.

There's been the pondering of what to do for the holidays, plotting what to wear to the office holiday party, (leather pants, corset and gold heels, we'll see what happens).

I also just got yarn to start making hats for Halos of Hope. This was really brought to my attention through the Podcaster Throwdown (Ravelry link).  How many hats can these knitting, crocheting, and sewing fans of participating podcasts make?  We shall find out after Stitches West.

Near and dear to my heart

Even if it is kind of short notice, but I did only just find out about it a few minutes ago. ;-)
PoMo Golightly had the genius idea of Craft Friday as a counter point to Black Friday's mass, chaotic, consumerism.  I am so in! Knitting socks, mitts and toys plus a little sewing and baking, instead of dealing with hordes of humans possessed by gross materialism?  Hells yes I will stay home!  If I get daring and the weather is amenable, I may take a chair and my tea and sit on the front porch to knit! :-D  I am such a rebel. ;-)

A Bright Spot in the Day

Today has been...less than ideal.  Nothing drastic, just unpleasantness in various forms that decided to show up all at once.
Then the mail arrived, bringing with it sock kits from Knitter's Brewing Company I bought a little over a week ago.  Packaged in bright tissue paper, with a handwritten note from Wendy, I instantly felt better.
How could I not with kits like these?

They brought a smile to my face and lifted my mood, so I wanted to share.  How could you not get a grin from that fanged heel? ;-)

Keeping myself entertained

Husband has been exceptionally busy with work lately, which means keeping myself occupied...and sitting and watching television does not cut it.  Cue dance parties in the living room, (on the new rug), movie marathons (to knit to) and of course, new projects.
I hope to finish the sleeve on this sweater today.

Then I decided that I had a couple of embroidery designs that would be ideal on large canvas bags.

I still haven't decided on the exact colors I will use for the pieces.

The other most recent project is the final result of a personal quest.  I have spent more time than I care to admit in a search for a sheer nude and sheer red lipstick.  I found the sheer red, just at a cost that I did not want to pay for a day to day cosmetic.  And the nude...well, everything is always too orange or too pink or too tan.  So, I grabbed a basic red lipstick I liked the color of, put it in a double boiler with some coconut oil and cocoa butter and five minutes later, voila!  It turned out so well I fished out two lipsticks (one too orange and the other too pink) and put those in the double boiler as well(after cleaning it out) with similar proportions of oil and cocoa butter.  It was like magic.  Both are exactly what I had been looking for! Now instead of three lipsticks I would use once in awhile, I have two lip sheers I will likely use daily. I need to look good to work on all those other projects. ;-)

There's also the sewing patterns I need to cut out, the other embroidery projects still in the hoop, the two quilts I designed around finished needlework pieces, and the ever looming pile of in progress knitting projects.  I may be a bit easily distracted, but things get done...eventually. :-)

Now that the skulls are put away...

We were one of three houses on our street that went with more "scary" and less "cute".

I was let near a dye pot and green eyeshadow.  This was the result:

I raided my closet for everything but the hat and the stockings.  I had no idea being green was going to make so many small children nervous, maybe I shouldn't have sat partially hidden behind the rose bush knitting on a sock.  The knitting confused lots of people, but no one said a single word.
We had fun. There was also a ton of candy left, plus some homemade maple marshmallows sitting on the table.  We might be through all of it by Thanksgiving.

Hoping to be helpful, even if it's a bit random

I found this through Ravelry, courtesy of Cat Bordhi.  Even if you are not a knitter, it's a good cause.  Cancer treatment research is rather important. Read, and please, if you can, it certainly sounds like a good thing to support! :-)

Struck By Inspiration

I received an email from Urban Threads today and saw their new Pretty Poison set.  I was instantly smitten...but what to do with the designs? There are only so many things I can hang on my walls and throw pillows are heartily abused in my house. Inspiration struck! What about a quilt? I could find a few more designs that had an interesting plant motif to them, piece the lot of them together and have a lovely functional piece of art! Genius...at least it will be once I finally get to it.
I also found a few embroidery pieces that would help pull together the wall hanging quilt I have wanted to make with a set of elemental dragon cross stitches I finished a few years ago.  Tonight, I could finally see it put together in my head.  Yet another project that requires attention.
Did I mention I am trying to work through the about six dozen knitting projects I have waiting for me?  Yarn and patterns all ready to go, in bags and bins, quietly staring and patiently gathering dust.  In my defense, most of them are single skeins for socks or shawls.
Oh, and let's not forget the dozens of embroidery and cross stitch projects that also already await my attention.
And....now that it's cooling off and the roving won't be sticking to my fingers I need to get back to the whole practicing spinning thing.
Provided I don't get distracted by some new shiny, (highly likely), I should be good on projects for at least another year and a half!

And...now it's cold

I had teenagers making puppy dog pouty faces at me earlier this week whenever I picked up a knitting project that was not their fingerless mitts.  So, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were spent finishing two pairs of said mitts.

Daughter had requested Wonder Woman and Green Lantern.  The yarn is wound for the Green Lantern ones.

Boy had requested War Machine,(yes, the design is on the palm like it should be) and Avengers logo mitts.  I had to size up the pattern a goodly amount to fit his paws, but it should make the next set go faster.
Husband announced that Boy's mitts were very cool and went so far as to try on one of them to show me that that size would fit him quite well too.  Laughingly, I let him know that I had left over yarn and he could have a pair too.  He is now eagerly awaiting his set.
Hopefully this will placate them for a little while so I can finish a couple of sweaters and a pair of socks or two...my toes are cold!

Slight change in plans

So, I was planning to post pictures of the dress I bought for the office holiday party, discuss how I plan to style an outfit that is elegant and sexy.  Maybe even a few pictures of the (slightly) fancy birthday festivities we had for Darling Daughter.  In light of current events, the plans changed a bit.
Instead, Husband and I did the grocery shopping for two months this weekend, (me, thankful every second that we could manage it), and I made granola, roasted chickpeas, and got out the cooler weather vegetable seeds.

 Fall knitting is now in full swing. I had already planned on rather a lot of new knitwear for the upcoming season, as most of my previously knit sweaters now belong to my daughter.  The sweaters look far better on her anyway.  Now I feel clever about planning ahead.
I've got four shawls, three sweaters, a hat(in leopard print), and at least four pairs of fingerless mitts planned, with yarn in hand, that I would like finished by the end of October.  One of them is this lovely shawl that is decidedly small blanket size.  Yes, it's probably a bit crazy, but as I am not including the endless list of socks, the multiple other shawls, or the actual blanket that are on my to knit list, it seems a sensible list and deadline right now.

The yarns at the beginning of the to knit list. Please note, they are not green or black. ;-)

I even made sure I had supervision...

A little while back I needed to head to the local craft store to get backing buttons to finish a sweater.  That was the whole list.  I got black, just in case I wanted to roll up the cuffs on the arms, to change up the look of the sweater a touch every once in awhile.

I felt really good and accomplished...until I saw the pattern sale.  I pulled out the list of needed patterns I had been dutifully keeping in anticipation of managing to catch a sale...and may have gotten a little enthusiastic.

Then, then there was the true hurdle to leap before leaving the store.  The seasonal aisle.  Currently it is overflowing with things for one of my favorite times of year, Halloween.  Skulls, spider webs, ravens, and broomsticks in glorious shades of pumpkin orange, acid green and twilight purple. All in the Victorian gothic style, curlicues beckoning me like a siren's call. 
Luckily my husband was there to raise an eyebrow and point out that it wasn't even the end of August yet. 
So, I tore myself away from visions of turning my house into The Haunted Mansion , meandering over to the yarn aisles, project list in hand, just in case the store had yarn I needed for a waiting project on sale.  Which they did, sort of. The color I wanted was two skeins short for the project I wanted it for. Back it went on the shelf.
Instead I ended up consoling myself, on both the yarn and Halloween fronts, with yarn that makes me think of zombie pumpkins.

 In another week or so, I'll need to go back to the craft store...and then, some of those lovely decorations will be coming home with me!

Hand me ups and my new favorite smell

All my new clothes lately have been items my kids have outgrown or old things re-fashioned into items I will actually wear. Luckily, my son has a thing for Hawaiian print shirts, which I love wearing. Never worn pants turn into smashing pencil skirts in an afternoon. Presto! Brand new outfits with vintage flair and minimum effort.  At some point I will succeed in forcing my hair into a vintage style, if only it would hold a curl for longer than two seconds.
Darling Daughter has contributed some wonderful basic shirts in lovely colors and capris that are a bit long on me, but quite comfortable, replacing similar items in my closet that had been starting to disintegrate.

These lovelies are paired with a limited (sadly) scent from ZOMG Smells that makes me keep sniffing my own arms so I can get a whiff of it!

There's also been a lot of stash pillaging for all the sweaters and socks I think I need to knit right this instant for the precise moment the temperature drops into the semblance of Fall-ish-ness.  Maybe just enough of a weather change so I can wear my lighter shawls without feeling like a sweaty sausage in a pretty wool casing?

Gold and Gooseberries

I got some proper metallic gold yarn to make flashy accessories for the upcoming holidays, probably a snood and a pair of lacey things to put on my hands, because if I start now, they may be done it time.
We found gooseberries at the store this weekend! Having never tried them before, we bought a basket.

Once you pop them out of their papery outer shell, there's a lovely citrus/floral scent.

The boys weren't very fond of them, so Daughter and I had to eat them!
I over-dyed three shawls worth of yarn a couple of weeks ago, remembering to take pictures for once, only to be so otherwise occupied that I haven't put the post together.
The summer weather around here hasn't exactly encouraged activity.

It was a good idea...

I knit a beautiful button up vest from the Sinnesfrid pattern on Knitty.  The color is wonderful. The fit is outstanding.

The buttons I picked are vintage reproductions. I adore them. They are perfect for the top.

Except for one minor detail.  They are too heavy for the piece.  So much so that it radically distorts the entire top.
It now stares at me from the table, taunting me until I can get to the store to buy new buttons.
To deal with the frustration, I cast on a new sweater.

I figured it was time for a trim

My hand is seven inches, from wrist to fingertip.  My hair still comes to the middle of my back.  My lower back feels naked!

Peppers and a blanket

I had been trying to grow some hot peppers this spring, only to have the downpours in May drown my poor plants.  So, I re-planted. 

Chocolate and purple sweet peppers. As well as some black chile peppers I picked up the seed for at the local botanical gardens.

The rest of my poor potted plants look a little sad, or empty, thanks to bouts of heavy rain and high temperatures.
The other thing consuming my summer, aside from the outings we go on that I consistently forget to take pictures of, is working from my craft stash.  Inspired by The Knitgrllls and their Stash Dash knitalong, I decided why of course I could knit 4375 yards of yarn by August!  It would clear some stuff off my needles, maybe make some room in the storage bins.
So I knit a blanket.

The picture doesn't do the color justice. It glows like fall leaves hit by the sun.  And I kind of adore it! At about 4 feet across, it will make a lovely lap blanket when it gets cooler.  A heavier gauge wool blanket probably wasn't the best choice for a summer project, but it's 1100 yards out of my yarn stash.

As part of the work from the craft stash, I also pulled out and washed fabric enough for seven dresses, several skirts (a combination of pencil and a-line), and two or three aprons. The patterns Hawthorne and Ceylon over at Colette Patterns were really responsible for the sewing re-boot.  Paired with a need for new clothes, a true dislike for what the standard available (and worn), plus a shape that requires me to tailor store bought items anyway, may as well make my own right? 
Crash course in advanced and couture sewing techniques here I come!

Cake and Dishcloths

Husband and I celebrated our seventeenth wedding anniversary a few days ago. We decided that that meant we needed cake. And wine.

Homemade German chocolate cake, at Husband's request, and a bottle of red with a label that made us both snicker.  It wasn't fancy, but we honestly couldn't come up with much else.  We had gone out to lunch and done a little shopping earlier in the day. After the hordes of weekend shoppers, cake and wine on the couch together sounded outstanding.
During said shopping, I picked up a ball of dishcloth cotton.  Something a bit louder than the standard. I absolutely adore it.

It's more vibrant in person. Darling Daughter called it clown barf. Husband and Darling Son, raised eyebrows and shrugged, forbearing actual verbal commentary.  I have cheerful washcloths to wash my face with. What problem?
The thing I've been most in need of lately is a bit more exercise. So I took up burlesque.  In my living room.  For now.

Breakfast, Books and Bat wings

In this case, breakfast goes on your face, though you could readily eat any leftovers.

I've found several face mask recipes using variations on these ingredients lately, this is my personal concoction.  I mashed up a few (4 or 5) fresh, slightly over ripe strawberries with two tablespoons Greek yogurt, a tablespoon or less of honey and a couple tablespoons of oat flour (chuck rolled oats in a coffee grinder you don't use for coffee. Presto!)  I tasted it first, quite yummy, then proceeded to smear said goo on face, neck and shoulders, trying to avoid being seen by other members of my household for about twenty minutes or so.  I washed off the glop with skin that looked smoother and I felt better, but that could be the result of sitting still for twenty minutes so I didn't drop strawberry yogurt stickiness all over my house.  Your results may vary(like if you have allergies to any of the stuff in it, avoid it!)

As for the books, well, they are honestly a bigger addiction than yarn for me, plus you can get  books about yarn which gets me coming and going. Luckily for you, I don't just read about yarn. I also read about plants and booze and even sometimes a little fiction. ;-)
Tequila Mockingbird  by Tim Federle is quite funny if you are into literature and drinks. I am, so I giggled through the whole thing.
The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart is wonderful! Fun to read while being quite informative and not feeling like you are sitting in a lecture. If you like plants and booze, this is for you.
Wicked Plants  by the same author, is what I am currently reading.  It's rather audience specific. If you like reading about the histories behind poisonous plants and their effects, it's probably for you. I happen to be enjoying it quite a bit!
The last book for now is one that was loved by the whole house. We are eagerly awaiting the second book! It is The Rook by Daniel O'Malley. It's just awesome!

And as for the bat wings....well, I realized all the tops I plan on making/wearing this summer are sleeveless and quite honestly bat wings sounded better than bingo arms. It did make me re-work my weight lifting routine, so I hope to be just batty instead of be-winged. :-)

New freezer and new shoes

We got a new freezer! It's been about two years since the old one died and the extra food storage has been sorely missed.  A decided upgrade, as it easily holds more than our current fridge/freezer combo in the kitchen.  Fewer grocery store runs, yay!

I also got a new pair of shoes I totally adore.

They aren't flashy, but wow are they comfortable!  I have rather narrow feet that tend to slide in standard shoes, so ballet flats that feel like slippers and don't give me blisters are an amazing find. The fact that I got them out of Payless Shoes was another bonus.

I'm starting to think I might be easily entertained.

In Preparation of a Plum Summer

This is the first top to come off the needles for this summer. It is the Laresca pattern, considerably shortened.  The yarn is a silk/bamboo blend that had been languishing in the yarn stash for several years in a color described originally as cassis(blackcurrant).  There is another tank top on the needles that is a soft cotton in an antique lavender shade. 
The new lip stuff I am really adoring right now are courtesy of Neutrogena in shades of plum and berry .  I have even dipped my toe back into plum eyeshadow territory, with far better success than my earlier experiments with outright purple more than two decades previous, which resulted in something that could be described as a purple panda after a fistfight.
I figure it must be my subconscious trying to rebel against Pantone's color choice for this year, especially with my current ability to wear some shade of green every day for two weeks without repetition.
Till another color takes my fancy, I will just dress like I'm celebrating Mardi Gras all summer. :-D

Mother's Day Around Here

Is not a big occasion. This year even less so as Husband had to work.
The kids did bake me an awesome cake.

When Husband came home, he walked in with these:

The roses went with the wonderfully classy shirt that I wore the rest of the day:

It ended up being a lovely, relaxing day.  I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it!

A little productivity

Last weekend all other knitting projects were put on hold so I could make the baby socks Husband requested for a co-worker.

And then I decided I needed to join, at least in spirit, the Orange KAL dreamed up by Amy Beth over at The Fat Squirrel Speaks.

I just happened to have this yarn sitting in my stash, all ready to go.  It has tried to be several other things but the Spiral Blanket of Awesome by Sharon McMahon is apparently the perfect pattern for it.
Monday I decided it was time to rearrange my closet and bedroom, to make all those projects in waiting a bit more accessible of course.
Worn out with all the, "yay it's finally warm for a whole week" cleaning, I decided to do the finishing work on the Octopus Bag.

With it's happy shrimp lining. ;-)

Which means back to work on lace shawls and new summer tops for awhile.  At this rate I might actually get them finished! :-D

Maybe a little unfocused

The last couple of weeks flew by in a blur.  I know they happened. I even have photographic evidence of things accomplished.
I've picked snap peas.

Cross stitched up something for my front entry. Yes. I know exactly how rude it actually is. Rather why I adore it. There are more in similar vein on their way from Subversive Cross Stitch.

I've also knit two shawls on very large needles in mostly mindless patterns that I haven't taken pictures of yet, but I used the yarn I got for my birthday. There's also a pair of fingerless mitts and a tank top, both about halfway finished.
There probably would have been more completed items, with more pictures if I hadn't found the Octopus Handbag
How could I possibly resist that? I chose the Henna colorway for the base of the purse.  It's a color that makes me happy right now and happens to also match my new favorite lip gloss!  The Evening Glow shade is perfect for making me look bright and painted without much actual effort.
Then I decided I should probably line this lovely new bag. I went and found happy shrimp fabric.
My kids and husband all announced that that was weird, even from their point of view.  I bought it anyway.
I figure something entertaining was warranted as a distraction from worrying about others, friends and strangers (rough couple of weeks on that front) and fretting over my oldest getting her wisdom teeth pulled in a few days.
Needlework, octopuses and happy shrimp it is!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Lovely daughter started my day with homemade pancakes, berry syrup and orange juice. Dear boy did the dishes and helped finish doing the laundry.
My darling husband took me to the yarn store .  I was pleased and picked up these lovelies less than five minutes after entering the store.

I was slowly but surely herded towards the back of the store where this was waiting!

I was totally gobsmacked! I had to ask the wonderful ladies in the store what I should start spinning with.  Two ounces (each) of basic wool in four different colors got added to the pile.

And then it was off to the pub for a pint or two, chips with beer cheese and sticky toffee pudding to help me recuperate from my blissful shock.
Fantastically awesome does not even begin to cover it! :-D