I swatched.

I am really trying to stick to my list of things to knit this year. Seasons of Love  was an impulse cast on, but uses up stash yarn, so it's not too far off course.  It's also now about three quarters of the way complete and I am trying to finish it by the end of January.

I did pull out yarn for three other projects actually on said list; the Igor'th Thawl. the Hyde Sweater and the Rizzo sweater.  I swatched for all three.  Not huge swatches, but at least four inches (10 centimeters) wide(except the shawl as I just had to like the fabric), washed and blocked so I could even check row gauge.

As I was conscientiously knitting away on things already warming my needles, I couldn't stop thinking about the skein of Nevermore (special colorway for last years Poe kit) from Potion Yarns waiting to become a Corvida.   So I wound the yarn, thinking that maybe it would be enough to just play in the yarn for a bit...it was not.

While the colors are not my usual, the colorway is making me absurdly happy while I work on the shawl.  The finished item will also be perfect with a black dress or three that reside in my closet.

In my defense, the shawl pattern was on the list and kitted up with the yarn already.

The Hedgewitch pattern is another story though.  The pattern has been in my favorites for a year.  Every time I see a finished one, my brain wants to cast on the giant, woolly goodness immediately.  That would require buying yarn, which I've not done since October. 

We do have a craft room, though right now it's rather a catch-all space.  The inversion table, folding chairs, table linens, spare blankets and other random bits have found a home there for the moment.  It is also the lowest priority on the organization list...and it shows:

It's also the first time we've had a room just for the making supplies, (yes, we, it's not just my stuff in there), so I am going to have to find storage solutions.  Previously, if it lived in a bin, it likely was in the garage and if it was in a project bag, it got crammed into the linen closet or a random corner.  Now, there is finally dedicated space...and I am not quite sure what to do with it. ;-)

There has been a discussion...

Mostly on Instagram, in the knitting community there has been an active, seemingly productive, discussion about race.  My reach and audience is....limited.  It would not matter the platform used really, but you have to try.  There was also no way I was not going to say something, even in a minor way.

These lovely humans, aside from making wonderful things, have said it better than I can, as I do not have the personal perspective to do so; ggmadeit, jeanettesloan, su.krita, ocean_bythesea, and thecolormustard. 

Jeanette Sloan also has a lovely page of POC designers and crafters.  Expand your horizons, find more people that make beautiful things.  On Instagram?  Follow Meet Makers of Color.

This is the Swag page of Neighborhood Fiber Co.  there are bits with "Unity" on them.  We are a community.  All of us.  Read a post.  Like a picture.  Buy something gorgeous (or even just a coffee) from (or for) a new to you maker.  Please, do not just sit there.  Listen to what is being said.  Say something.  Do something.  Make our community better by including everyone. 

 

Making

There has been knitting, unsurprisingly.  I finished two Bloody Stupid Johnson hats

The kids picked the colors they wanted and absconded with them almost as soon as they were off the needles.
I went stash diving, (something I've been doing often this year already), as soon as the Seasons of Love wrap by Tif Neilan went live.  It's been a joyous knit, which might explain why I am over half way through the wrap in a rather short time frame.

I kept it simple with only two colors.  The gray is Deep Unrelenting Gray from Blue Moon Fiber Arts Targhee Worsted and the tweedy cream is Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool in Birch tweed

I made lotion and lip bars.

The recipe I found online wasn't bad, but not quite right for the personal preferences of the house, so they got melted down and re-worked to much better effect, though not as entertaining to look at.

I pulled out a bunch of yarny fingering weight odds and ends to start on a Granny Stripe blanket, which is crochet and there is no rhyme or reason to the colors I put in the bag, so we will see how it works out.

I've started some seedlings already since our warm weather season isn't overly long.  I also needed to replace the catnip plant as it was gotten rid of during the move.  I haven't been able to find a replacement locally.

It's very much been a mentality of use what you have, to make what you actually use.

The house is mostly put together, some refinement as well as extra shelves and the like are still needed, but there is no doubt we are making it our own:

Goodbye 2018

I am not sorry to see you go.  You caused me and mine rather a lot of distress and unhappiness, and that was just on the personal level.  You seemed to be heavy handed in shoveling your unpleasantness onto acquaintances and strangers as well, which, I admit, I still took somewhat personally.

The holiday decorations are already down and packed away till next year.  Our household is decidedly ready for 2019 to start.

The Elemental shawl was started August 4th, 2018.  It was bound off December 18th, 2018.  Honestly, this is probably some sort of record for me as it's not quite 1400 yards of laceweight.  Possibly, it is an indicator of how I deal with stress?  The shawl is not blocked yet, and is already the size of a baby blanket.

Yarn is already being wound for another 2000+ yard (also laceweight) shawl.  Igort'th Thawl will be knit in memoriam of MMario.  A knit along is being held by the Ankh-Morpork Knitters Guild. 

Gardening plans are being made, for when the temperatures are back above freezing.  Terroir Seeds has a wonderful selection of seeds, some of which I've not seen elsewhere.
Plans for different makings are also in progress; lotion and shampoo bars, a sourdough starter and whatever else catches my fancy.

When bandying about ideas for a word/theme of 2019, Husband suggested Recovery.  It is a suitable word, though I would add something along the lines of Authenticity as well, as Reclaim and Recover sounds more like a recycling program....and we are not quite that old, yet.

Her Ladyship Alzoa Shadowcat Fluffybutt (and her humans) wish you a wonderful New Year filled with treats and the adoration you so obviously deserve!

Glad Tidings of the Season....

Whatever you celebrate...or not.  Around here things start around the Winter Solstice and just all roll together till just after New Year's Day.
We started with a quiche for Solstice evening, exceptionally not fancy, but tasty.

Then the fun was allowed:  a fire to roast homemade marshmallows over.

After our fill of caramelized, melty sugar, we tossed one of the packets of color changing powder on the flames and watched the pretty colors.

Our tree is up:

Though most of our decorations are not.  Marvin has been over seeing the unpacking though:

Found yet more books in the bottom of a box yesterday, my expression may have been similar to Marvin.

Joy and ample storage find you and yours in the new year!

Still moving. Books help.

The last year and a bit has been rather stressful.  One of the few things that has genuinely helped me deal with things are books; specifically the paranormal cozy mystery genre.  The stories lend themselves well to a series, so you can hang out with the same characters for more than an evening and many of them are also high on the re-readable scale, so if your brain just needs a known happy place to hang out, these work well.

Morgana Best is definitely a favorite, her Witches and Wine series in particular (there are crazy old ladies who knit), but I have read all of her paranormal novels more times than I will admit to!  The novels tend to be set in Australia, so are enjoyable for a bit of armchair travel as well.

Gina LaManna has the Magic in Mixology series and the spin off series The Hex Files.  A fun series about witches and potions and bad people, of course.

H.Y. Hanna writes the Bewitched by Chocolate series, which makes me want to tromp through the British countryside while eating chocolate!  More witches.

Nancy Warren's Vampire Knitting Club series has been quite enjoyable so far!  Witches, knitting, vampires and arm chair travel.

None of these are graphic.  There is the expected dash of romance and frequently a cat.  They are fun distractions to play in.

If you are looking for something decidedly more intense and way more graphic on every level but still an outstanding read Meghan Ciana Doidge has the Dowser Series, which dove tails with the Reconstructionist series and the Oracle series.  Shifters, vampires, witches, dragons, cupcakes and chocolate.  They are highly descriptive and can get rather violent, there is sex as well,  but Husband has been enjoying reading these as well, unlike the other suggestions.

Hide in a book.  Support an author when you can.

Moving.....

It's work. There are appliances to clean, things to get rid of and plant pots to be emptied of wild flowers that refused to bow to winter weather.  Decisions must be made about what you are willing to carry with you and what will be crammed into a box to be re-discovered at a later date.
The rather eccentric collection of things that graced our walls are now in piles in the living room; leaving the walls looking bare and institutional.

For the first half of the day, every time I looked at the walls I would squawk, "Naked walls!"  Unsurprisingly, anyone in the room with me at the time tended to roll their eyes or chuckle.

Then, there is the book collection.  It is a collection of two life long bibliophiles melded into a wonderfully diverse and curated assortment.  Sadly, there is a problem with a glorious collection that is discovered only when moving.
This.....

The large bookshelf is stacked two and three books deep, with more squeezed in wherever possible. 

That is only about a third of the (physical) library.  We are fans of e-books as well, which is probably the only thing that has kept the book horde to a semi-manageable size.

Knitting has been proving, yet again, that it is how I maintain balance.  Two pairs of socks, one which had been on the needles most of year, have been finished!

The purple pair (started mid-December last year) is in Hawthorne Tonal from KnitPicks in their Corvallis colorway.
The second pair is a sock blank painted by Potion Yarns.
Both pair are my personal vanilla sock pattern; sixty four stitch, toe up, rounded toe, fish lips kiss heel, five inch leg and an inch or two of two by two rib.
I've also put a bit of work on the sparkly holiday sweater that I insisted needed to happen.

The pattern is Bauxite from Bitchcraft slightly adjusted to be a bit more tailored.  The back has only just been started. The yarn is Alux from KnitPicks in the Cream colorway, which has been surprisingly nice to work with!

Now back to the work of clearing out nightstands and the freezer, that I may earn the reward of knitting a few rows before falling asleep!

Do Other People Do This?

It started with a sweater pattern,  Bauxite by Samantha Stadter. (Love her stuff by the way!)  Liked the look of the piece, though with an eye to making it slightly less over-sized.

Then my brain had a suggestion; "What about making it sparkly?  We saw that Alux over at KnitPicks...it would make a lovely top for a holiday party!"   

Logic then chimes in; "We haven't been to a holiday party in at least five years.  We don't need a holiday party top."

But by then, it's too late, the outfit design is off and running.

A black velvet skirt would look lovely with the soft, sparkling alpaca!  After searching for just the right black velvet skirt ready made, fabric is ordered.  Before I check out, I realize the sweater is possibly a bit revealing in the back, I should find a camisole to go under it (like the designer suggests).  After much searching ready made items,I pop a yard of linen silk in the color closest to the yarn I've bought into the fabric.com cart, muttering to myself about having a pattern around here somewhere.

Oooh! I have Santa Jack earrings!  And red heels that match!  If you finish that Heads Will Roll shawl you would have a matching sparkling wrap.

Hmmm, needs green.  How about a vintage style hair snood?  Has to be just that right shade of green though.  I'll just head over to Potion Yarns and see what she has in stock.  That Forgeries of Jealousy is perfect!  And it's in a merino silk blend?  Perfect!

Oh goodness! I almost forgot.  What about stockings?  They should have sparkle too, but not be overly distracting.  H&M is the only place with any in stock right now, black and sparkles should work out nicely.

It took ten minutes for my brain to throw together the outfit.  It took an entire evening to find all the bits or the supplies to make them.

All the pieces finally arrive.  Fabric is washed.  I draft a full circle skirt pattern using measurements from the Mood calculator and dig out a rather old Vogue lingerie pattern, playing mix and match with pattern pieces to get the v-neck I want in front and in back.

The skirt and camisole are cut out, just awaiting sewing.  Yarn is wound and knitting is in progress, (though I am wondering if I can find a different lace chart for the snood, maybe I'll just roll with the original).

But the holiday party outfit that I am unlikely to need really is in progress.

It's a glorious combination of color, texture, and sparkle waiting to be completed.

This is how my brain works.  Entire projects, outfits, or other sorts of designs pop, ready to be made, into my head, despite (or perhaps in spite) of all other things already in progress.

This is why most surfaces in my house have some sort of project in progress on them, usually multiples. All still adored, randomly worked on for an entire day, then put down in favor of something else, though only temporarily.  Another idea will strike and I will have to write it down, draw it out or research supplies.  Possibly, I have everything at hand, then another thing will be started, smiled over, and completed at some undefined point in the future or in the next hour, depending on the item.

The one thing I cannot do is ignore the ideas. If I don't acknowledge them, the inspirations become distracting, popping into my thoughts when I should be doing laundry, worrying about what is for dinner or working on the thing that was causing the distraction yesterday.   Thus my piles of lists, notes and sketches for things to make is a collection that rivals my store of craft supplies bought to bring the ideas into reality.

This is my normal.  I know there have to be lots of others out there.  How do you deal with it? 

The Lamentations of a (Spoiled and) Easily Distracted Knitter

I have been knitting for the better part of fifteen years.  It became my primary craft choice almost immediately.  I have been buying yarn pretty much monthly...for fifteen years.  I tend to buy yarn specifically for certain patterns/projects.  What this really means, I have enough projects kitted up to knit without purchasing anything for the next five to ten years. 
I am also not a monogamous knitter.  On any given day there will likely be at least a dozen projects on the needles being semi-actively worked on.
Normally, this is not an issue.  I get teased a bit as I am constantly surrounded by a hill of works in progress, but that's about it.
For various reasons, I am having to curate my projects and projects in potentia down to something a bit more travel sized.  I have done this before without any problems. 
This time, however, the duration of the travel time is not definitive; could be a month, could be almost a year.  Cue my brain whimpering, "But what if I run out of yarn?!?!"
Which is why the "travel stash" has been whittled down to a solid years worth of projects (minus three shawls and a sweater likely to be finished in the next few weeks):

My brain knows that this amount of yarn is just impractical.  That square bin in the bottom photo?  It's an eleven inch cube(yarn is squishy and it has no lid).  Almost exclusively hand-dyed indie yarn.  My entire collection of Potion Yarns and Nerd Girl Yarns sit in that bin with some random Blue Moon Fiber Arts and (now) Verdant Gryphon.  That is an art collection made of yarn!  And while yes, it is "just stuff" I also really like the people who run those shops, so I get a bit emotionally attached to the yarn.  Some of the skeins were a limited edition, others discontinued.  Running out and buying another skein is not an option for most of them.

The question is rapidly becoming, "Do I have one bag big enough to cram all that yarn in?"
Then I can honestly say, "But it's only one bag."

Not knitting, more personal reminder

At first, you press forward as usual and think nothing of it.  New situation?  No problem.
Then the attention starts; negative and some a little too positive.  So, you dial yourself back. 
Clothing becomes a bit more standard, (it's fine, you have little kids anyway).  You retreat from conversation (most folks don't care to discuss plants, tarot cards, or the fact that you know all the lyrics to every song on (the original) Blue's Clues).
Socializing becomes awkward on a good day.
Twenty years later, you are pretty much a hermit; leaving the house only when necessary.
You have outwardly become the quiet, obedient spouse who is considered rather odd and tends to make people uncomfortable when they try and talk to you because awkward at best is your current normal.
Then, you realize the situation is shifting again. Your kids do their own things, clean up after themselves and cook dinner for you twice a week.
The structure and rules, (oh so many assumed and unspoken) your life has followed the last two decades are being phased out.  Change is in the air.
Your wardrobe has been steadily improving.  And while being social with anyone for longer than two minutes is still awkward, your sartorial choices help with conversation.
You've started writing again. The light bulb over your head clicks on as you remember all the different things you are able to do and make...and you can't exactly pinpoint when or why you stopped.
Conforming to what other expect you should be suddenly chafes terribly.
The urge to run down the street cackling with a comet tail of yarn and Halloween decorations is strong.
Instead, you will put out a few more holiday decorations, grinning and humming to yourself...probably making the neighbors uncomfortable. 
You feel more Morticia Addams and less awkward hermit.  Let's call it progress.

I finally finished something...and it's gray

Finally got one of the multiple gray items off my needles!  It's not blocked, there are still a few ends to weave in...and there are sparkly bits that need to be sewn on, but my twist on Julgran is done!

It feels like it took forever...so, maybe I shouldn't cast on two sweaters and a giant shawl in the same color at the same time.
Said shawl is now about two feet across a side.  Happily, I have made it to the final chart.  Sadly, said chart is patterned on every row and has beads.  It may take me awhile to finish.

The picture was taken over a week ago, as that is halfway through the fourth chart.  The pillow, for scale, is fifteen inches across.

Daughter has decided to try her hand at yarn dyeing.

Obviously using a color palette far more exciting than my own.  She has knit with her little samples successfully and my kitchen survived the process.  Wins all around I think.

Technically, these bits and bobs are for my Halloween costume...

I make no promises they won't be part of my wardrobe rotation year round.  The shoe clips are just standard hardware with faux raven skulls from Fire Mountain Gems glued on.  The skeletal cameo bowtie is from Historical Emporium.

Truthfully, right now most of my time has been spent doing things like cleaning out and reorganizing closets (woo) and doing the same for the garage (woo extra hoo).  There was the panicked purchase of a new electric kettle when the old one refused to boil water for my morning tea.  The bonus being that now my kitchen glows like an '80's restaurant when I put the kettle on!