I bought a few skeins...

In my defense, KnitPicks was having a sale and aside from a couple of skeins of sock yarn, this is probably the last yarn purchase for the next five to six months.  This haul will net me; two sweaters, five pairs of standard size socks, a pair of striped thigh highs, and two beaded lace shawls.  These have been added to the stash as projects in labelled zip top bags with everything except the required needles, which is what most of my yarn stash is; projects in potentia.I also got a few skeins to stretch yarn already in stash so I could make another LivedIn.

The golden tan color is a discontinued shade called Butter Pecan. I plan on using the Fibonacci number sequence to blend the cream color into the body of the sweater.
Then, a friend kindly brought me a few skeins of her hand dye.

From left to right those are: Tequila Sunrise, Blue Jay and Robin.  Tequila Sunrise is going to be made into an elephant toy to put on the bar. I may already be planning for said pink elephant to have a feather boa and a tiny martini glass.  Robin and Blue Jay will become hats and mitts for Daughter and Son, respectively.
Amidst all this incoming yarn (there was a little spinning fiber too, but I forgot to take pictures), I did manage to finish another sweater.

I finally completed the Namaste I've been working on since...February? Maybe March? I know most of it was knit in April.  I adore the finished piece, it was just not an overly engaging thing to knit, so it took me a wee bit.
That leaves two cotton tops on the needles that need to be finished before I get to work on the winter wear I've been letting languish in the summer heat.

Overly enthusiastic....and vaguely panicked

I have more things on the needles in progress than most people knit in a year.  This is not a problem for me usually.  I have never been a monogamous knitter in any real way. My enthusiasm for knit alongs this summer means I've added three shawls(plus a fourth one I've already finished) and a pair of socks to the list of things to complete soonest.
The socks are Bovary by General Hogbuffer in KnitPicks Chroma fingering weight in the colorway Lupine

I am loving both the colorway and the pattern! It's kind of eye-searingly bright, making it perfect for socks.
This shawl is the second in the Elemental series by Erica Jackofsky, Water:

The yarn is Cascade Heritage sock in the Marine colorway.
I'm also still working on the Naked Gardening knit along shawl in Malabrigo lace, Black Forest colorway. 

The beads are an iridescent taupe I had a couple of tubes of.
Lest you think I have forsworn my most favored color; here's the start of the Forest MKAL

It's another piece using Cascade Heritage sock, this time in Mossy Rock.
I even finished something!  This is LivedIn (minus the front purl stitch) in Comfy worsted in a limited edition colorway called Cabernet Heather.

It fits so wonderfully I already have more yarn for a second one on the way!

None of this is a problem...except, it looks like we will be moving at the end of the year (or thereabouts).   I will not be able to carry all my works in progress with me, as it's currently a pile two feet high and three feet across.  I already have minor separation anxiety over the thought of lack of access to my yarn stash for a minimum of two months. When first confronted with this idea, I made cookies that were supposed to look like cinnamon rolls, but overly warm dough made them roses instead.

Now, now I realize I need to start finishing as many things as possible...while getting everything else ready to pack.   I'm going to need more cookies!

Happy sounds for your ears

I may be behind the curve a bit, but I've been wallowing in Post Modern Jukebox lately. The music brings a grin to my face, I hope it brings a grin to yours!

There might be a theme to all this...

But it seems difficult to put my finger on.  Maybe it will become clear if I make a list?

I've found rose perfume I love! It actually smells like fresh roses! It also layers nicely with the amber scent I have worn for years.

 Then I bought some rose water and vegetable glycerin (plus some other stuff), and now I use a Victorian-esque rose water lotion just about everywhere!

I may have found lip stuff that is either rose scented or that particular mauve/pink shade deemed rose.

I found this stuff while wandering the grocery store:

The taste is fairly light, even in water (though it's also good in gin), and it turns the drink a lovely color.
To wrap it up, I found a pattern called Tangled Rose for worsted weight socks.  I immediately bought yarn in a colorway called Beet and cast on, because everyone contemplates and knits winter socks mid-summer...right?

I think I may be on a rose kick...indefinitely.

Having a few fangirl moments...

First and foremost, the most fantastic, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (aka Yarn Harlot) is proving her wonderfulness again, so a signal boost is in order to help her team to their goal.

The next is a chair I hope to coax Darling Husband into making for me,  (furniture building would put a serious dent in my available knitting time).  I'm already thinking about themed fabrics for the cushions for different genres of books, providing he can be convinced to make more than one chair.

The book, Geek Knits came out last week! I was immediately smitten with the patterns! I have Toni Carr's Knits for Nerds book, so of course I need this latest publication in my greedy little hands.

With my love of the previously mentioned knitting books, you can imagine my glee when I pulled up Knitty's First Fall 2015!  I may have been seen by at least one of my teenagers, bouncing up and down with joy in the living room.  I was promptly laughed at.  I continued to bounce and giggle slightly maniacally.  
Maniacal laughter prompts a book/author recommendation.   Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain by Richard Roberts is a really fun read! The sequel, Please Don't Tell My Parents I Blew Up the Moon has also been quite enjoyable so far. 

At some point, (hopefully soon) I will finish more knitting projects...I need to free up the needles!

Knitting Along

Circumstances lately have definitely been knitting friendly, so I've been doing a lot of it.

The first of three pairs of baby socks were finished in two days.

I finished a pair of socks for myself, (from a knit along last year), I forgot to mirror the cables and the yarn is busy, but I kind of love them.

I finished the Bulky Teakwood Cardigan by Cecily Glowik MacDonald in Cascade Eco+ in the Lichen colorway (I think). It fits beautifully, but still needs blocking.

I also finished a Game of Thrones knit along inspired by Tyrion in KnitPicks Biggo yarn in their Brass Heather colorway.

I whipped up some Shieldmaiden Gauntlets with the left overs. Those will get seamed up today.

I am also participating in an Interview with a Vampire knit along.  I am using Malabrigo sock yarn in their Violeta Africana colorway.

And how could pass up a Grace O'Malley sock knit along?

There is also at least another half dozen projects being worked on; another shawl, a few pairs of socks, and a couple of sweaters. 
I think I see lots more knitting in my future.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming

Which means knitting. Lots of knitting.  That I want to finish by the end of May.

The projects to be finished include: three tops, a pair of adult socks, a pair of baby socks, two lace shawls and two mystery knit along projects.  Nine projects. In the next three weeks or so.  I am trying to put a dent in my works in progress, there are just so many of them right now. I didn't knit as much as expected during the trip in April.
Traveling during pretty much the entire month of April also meant I missed my usual planting date.  I very thoughtfully raided the local garden center for plants.

Which means I instantly had a couple of cucumber plants, half a dozen tomato plants (3 different kinds), half a dozen peppers (hot and sweet), as well as two half whiskey barrels on the front porch with rosemary, thyme, lavender, oregano, flat leaf parsley, dill and cilantro in them. 
The only things I have going from seed are some beans and salad greens, which aren't very interesting to look at yet.

I still need to go through the pictures from our trip as well as send out thank you cards (I wish mentally writing them actually worked).
 I just needed to play in the dirt and put my house in order a wee bit more.  Hopefully, I get something accomplished while I'm at it!

A bit of a walkabout

There have been tromps through the Big Trees

Family get togethers...with too many pictures to choose from quite yet.
There was a stop at Purlescence, I hadn't been in the better part of a decade. I may have bought a little yarn.
I got some Lambie Toes for a start. I was so excited to actually get my hands on some!!

I also splurged on some Shalimar Breathless.

I also picked up a little felted raven kit to commemorate the trip.  There have been so many ravens cawing the entire time, it seemed appropriate.
There will be more pictures forthcoming, I just haven't managed to sort through them all yet!

My Poor Neglected Knitting!

I've been sewing lately. A lot really.  I did not knit at all yesterday.  Not a single stitch.

There were two shirts and a skirt for Faire.  I don't have pictures of the shirts. They were made rather hurriedly.  One was black, for my outfit. The other was a cream to match a skirt made for a friend who was going to be making her first visit to a proper faire.

I finished all six of the pencil skirts in progress. Only four are shown here, the other two are already living in Darling Daughter's closet.

I finally finished the first of my Ms. Frizzle skirts.

And there is also the first pair of pants I've ever made for myself...and they fit fairly well. I just need to install the zipper.

That means, including the apron and shopping bag finished earlier, I will have completed thirteen sewing projects this year already! I've got four more projects, all dresses of some flavor, calling me.  They will have to wait though, April will be too busy for any concentrated sewing time.
Darn. I will just have to knit instead!

A Much Beloved Author Has Passed

Sir Terry Pratchett was one of my all time favorite authors.  I've spent more time in Discworld than most other fantasy universes.  I introduced my husband to Discworld, he was promptly hooked.  Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels were read aloud to my children as bedtime stories.  His novels are still read regularly by the entire household.

Thank  you Sir Terry! You will be missed!

Progress! Sort of.

The bag I threw together with leftover scrap fabric?  Finished.

It will go with to the farmer's market tomorrow morning.  It's a rather large bag, fully lined, so should hold up well as a shopper.
Second Date Night top, this one in emerald greens? Finished, but unblocked (like it's blue sibling).

In my enthusiasm of getting another project off the needles...I may have cast on another.

That is the first three inches of the Teakwood Bulky Cardigan by Cecily Glowik MacDonald.  In my defense, I had been commenting quite recently that I should make something to replace the disintegrating sweatshirt that is my current standard. There was also the perfect amount of yarn in the correct gauge in the yarn stash(Cascade Eco+ in Lichen), needles free in the correct size(13US/9mm according to my swatch) and a coupon code(wahoo!) for the pattern.  How was I not supposed to cast it on?  Admittedly, I am a bit disconcerted by being the only (at the time of this post) project page for said sweater on the whole of Ravelry.  It feels, conspicuous. Why are more people not working on this wonderful and addicting knit item?  They should be!

I was finally getting to the putting in of zippers on the half dozen skirts I've been working on...only to find that courtesy of my attention to diet and exercise since the beginning of the year, said skirts now must be altered because they are a bit too big.  While the alterations are required for a positive reason, it's rather disheartening on the sewing front.  All I can see is yet more sewing....without a finished product!  It's a wee bit frustrating.  Maybe I'll knit a bit more on the cardigan to make myself feel better?