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.