Having to be responsible....

There's been far less time to knit on large projects lately.  Mostly it's been going through old boxes in the garage and breaking down disintegrating shelving to get rid of things before the movers get here.

I did stop to put together my bag of travel projects, labelled for ease of identification:

Small knitting projects are getting lots of love right now.  I finished a green version of the Scathach hat.

It may not look exciting, but it's tightly knit and warm, knit in Valley Yarns Northampton Bulky, in the discontinued color Forest.
The next two projects getting most of my attention right now are to warm my feet.  The Bovary socks by General Hogbuffer and the Tangled Rose socks by Linda Antons.

The pictures show the colors fairly accurately.  Bovary is being knit in KnitPicks Chroma Fingering in the Lupine colorway.  Tangled Rose is being knit in Cascade Yarns Pacific in Beet, there is a skein of Cactus waiting to become a second pair.  Both have been incredibly enjoyable knits, resulting in beautiful things to put on my feet, (which will be more wonderful when I finish the second sock in both pairs).
As I have announced to the family, it will be a Sock Holiday this year.  When Daughter was told she was getting "socks in potentia" she giggled.  Boy is just thrilled I am finally willing to knit him socks, even though his feet are not much smaller than his father's.  Husband knows about his one pair, but not the pair I plan to knit out of super outstandingly awesome secret sock yarn I may have recently received, (with enough for a pair for myself as well) and already hidden away until I can sneaky knit a pair of fingering weight socks for U.S. size 13 feet.
 It may be a high bar. 
There are also six lace shawls in the travel bag, five have beads.
 I am aiming for the highly accomplished side of yarn insanity.

I was only going to make one...

Maybe two at the most.  I'm not quite sure what happened, but this is the result:

The pattern is Leafy Washcloth by Megan Goodacre.Worsted weight dishcloth cotton on larger needles makes for a finished project in just about an hour, which may be much of the appeal.  It also means putting a bit of a dent in the yarn stash with minimal effort and useful results.

I may knit just a few more.

To break the jag of washcloth knitting, I cast on a sweater, Uncomplicated by Alicia Plummer.  The yarn is KnitPicks Stroll in Inverness.

There's also an assortment of socks, shawls in progress and the prep work for the travel knitting bag(which is over-packed, I am okay with this).  I really am hoping to get a few more things finished before the movers get here, but that may be overly optimistic.

So...Halloween happened

My enthusiasm wasn't really there this year.  I still decorated, inside and out.  The kids carved pumpkins and took up station on the front porch (they were quite enthusiastic):

I wore the costume I had put together, but it just didn't seem near as flashy as everyone else's.

Though some of that probably comes from dressing as a character that you just have to raid your own closet for.
The evening concluded with a down pour paired with a flash flood warning.  On the up side....it means we have candy left!

The final piece is complete!

This adorable little guy will hang out and wave at people from my lab coat pocket on Halloween.  I even put a little glow in the dark fabric paint on the tips of his branches and head spikes.  I modified this pattern, using sock yarn held double.  I also knit the tubes for his arms around pipe cleaners, so they are poseable.  A cardboard circle in the bottom gives him extra stability, along with some fishing weights tucked into the stuffing.  Thus completes the craft projects for Halloween...mostly, I may cut out some skulls and bats to put in the windows.

It kind of flew off the needles

Cast on the morning of October 19th:

Knitting complete, ends woven in, washed and blocked the evening of October 24th. 
If I focus, in the face of deadline, I apparently knit quite fast.

A few more things finished

The first thing was secret knitting that has already reached it's new home.  The Reyna shawl  with a few beads along the bottom edge for some sparkle.

The Mountain Trails MKAL is finished, though unblocked at this point.

This is just a partial shot, but it's a large piece, rather cape-like, very lovely!
I also finished a hat, this is the first of two of these.  It is the Scathach hat.

I put my third Date Night on the needles on Monday.  This is the progress as of half a round into day three.  I really am hoping to have it done for an office shindig in about a week.

The last thing being worked on right now is a plant friend to put in my lab coat pocket for Halloween.

Mine is not as chubby, on purpose.  I just have the head, arms, and leaves left.  Though I am starting to panic just a wee bit over getting the top and stuffie done in time for when I need them; the idea of not working on them, not making that real push to try and finish them causes more panic. 
Continued  fevered effort it is!

Attending to details

My yarn dyeing friend had handed me another two new colorways a little while ago.  These are Hummingbird and Snowy Forest:

And as she needed samples and I knit faster, I made sure she had them:

They were dropped off at Yarnivore, where her yarn is now being sold!  She's using a merino and silk base that even the people who worked behind the counter couldn't stop fondling, it's really lovely!

I've also almost completed the extras for my Halloween costume.  I decided my version of Poison Ivy (Dr. Pamela Isley) needed a little something on the lab coat:

The back is a tad more dramatic:

It's all hand-stitched, mostly back stitch (to keep things simpler).  The design is from Urban Threads, their Elven Court design pack (hand embroidery).  I also knit some rose hair pins to put in my hair, but haven't taken pictures of them yet.

The other fun detail I've been dealing with is my pile of works in progress.  What do I pack up? What do I carry with me?  How much can I finish before I have to decide?  Can I find some good vacuum seal type travel bags so I can carry more with me? 
Technically, I have two months to figure it all out...there's just a lot of other stuff that has to be done in that time frame too. 
I think I can finish the list of ten projects (all a solid half done already) before the official packing date. 
The problem is me, being calm, focused and rational about yarn and projects.  Sure...I can do that...maybe?

Today....

I am thirty nine and a half.  As my full birthday was spent at a family wedding reception,  (there was cake and singing, it was definitely not my party, nor should it have been) I figured I would post a picture today.  Sadly, the brain raccoons (so much thanks to Jilli for bringing the description to my attention!) got me last night.  Four hours sleep is not the most flattering look, but I went with it anyway.  Happily, it is enough sleep for me to finish embroidering my lab coat for Halloween!

Now wasn't that thoughtful?

They made a perfume just for me!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs, after years of haunting their site, made a scent I had to have.  Madame Moriarty, Misfortune Teller was too perfect for me to pass up! 
Paired with my new favorite lotion set I end up smelling like a dark, sexy pastry.  I love it rather a lot!

Maybe I should have thought this through better...

In my defense, the move was not official when these all sounded like wonderful ideas.  Now it is...and I'm glad lace shawls (even in progress) pack fairly well.
I may have managed to sign up for five different knit alongs all starting in a two month time frame.  They are all some flavor of shawl, I may have a teeny addiction.  Two of them have a Halloween sort of theme.  The patterns were bought almost instantly in a haze of black and orange. They are the Voodoo kal by Boo Knits and the Vanessa Ives kal by bunnymuff (Penny Dreadful themed?!? Yes please!!!)  Yarn and beads have already been kitted up.

For the Voodoo kal, yes, just basic black.  I think it will be stunning.

For Vanessa Ives, a colorway called Gothic Rose from Dream in Color seemed absolutely perfect!
The third knit along is an ongoing one.  The Elements kal from Erica Jackofsky that I am loving the patterns from. Admittedly, Earth hasn't been started (I have the yarn), Water is still on the needles, but I have the yarn for Air!

The fourth one that starts in October, (and one of the three of the knit alongs that starts on the first) is Wandering Moon.  I don't have yarn for it yet, a warm gray with a sheen to it would be lovely!
And last but not least, is the knit along that I am currently knitting (and keeping up with); Mountain Trails by Leedra Scott.  The following picture is out of focus, unfinished and unblocked, so should not spoil things for anyone wishing to keep the finished item a surprise.

The pattern has been wonderful to knit!  The yarn is Hawthorne Fingering Kettle Dye from KnitPicks in the Conifer colorway.
I'm sure I will absolutely be able to finish all of these...while doing knitting for the trunk show the first week of October, some secret knitting, getting ready for Halloween, knitting up woolies for a winter where is actually gets cold and oh, yes moving at the end of the year. 
At some point, I will also remember that breathing, eating, and sleeping are not optional activities to pencil in when I have time.

It was a knit wear kind of evening...

Last night we went out to dinner with friends.  One was a gentleman newly introduced to the idea of enthusiastic knitters.  I knew this in advance.  I dressed accordingly.

The top is the Date Night pullover.  The skirt is Intolerable Cruelty, (sorry no back shot, but I used black ribbon to lace the back of the skirt).  My purse was also hand knit, (black, felted, not very exciting)  with a shawlette tied to the handles should I catch a chill.  I was lamenting as we headed to the restaurant that I hadn't finished putting the hand knit mini roses on bobby pins to add to my hair.
At one point he asked if there were groups to help people like me; my response, delivered with a huge grin, "Yes, they are called yarn stores." 
He went home that evening under the impression I was crazy.  I am quite comfortable with the idea.

Definitely a successful evening.